Taking Charge and Taking Care
by Raydor Fan
Summary: Set 3 months after the Season 2 finale... What happens when Sharon is unable to let go? Can Rusty and the team break through the tough exterior to take care of her?
1. Chapter 1

A very special thank you to my Beta, Phantom Rosabelle! Please check out her stories, they are awesome. This is an expanded repost of an earlier story. I decided to stop and take the time to do it better. Here we go….

It had been three months since the Phillip Stroh incident had been put to bed. Rusty, at Dr. Joe's suggestion, started volunteering his time at the clinic across the street from the LAPD. He was familiar with the staff and the setup from when Stroh had attacked him in Brenda's home; these were the people that took care of him.

"Hey Rusty," Danielle smiled as she brought her favorite volunteer a soda.

"Thought doctors were supposed to promote that healthy living crap," Rusty's tone had no bite to it; he really liked Dr. Martin or Danni as she insisted he call her.

"I am," Danni laughed. "Just don't let it get around that I contributed to the sugar intake of a high school senior. I have a reputation to keep."

As the director of the clinic, Danielle was responsible not only for her patients but the volunteers, doctors and day to day operations and enjoyed every moment of it. In the beginning, Rusty would hang back and just carry things or do something on the computer when Danni needed help but now he had taken to playing chess with some of the patients and interacting with them. His people skills and his compassion were growing by the day; he was transitioning into someone different than the abandoned teen turned hustler.. He was becoming a man.

"Can I ask you something?" Rusty was a bit uneasy but things were weighing on his mind.

"Sure, come in my office. I have some work in there for both of us and I have something to show you." Danni's eyes danced; she had such compassion for this young man.

Rusty stopped just inside the doorway; the confused look on his face amused Danielle. "What's with the computer station? That's new, right?"

"It is," Danni smiled. "You need a place of you own to do your job so I thought you might like it in here because you can turn on music and it won't bother anyone."

"Won't you be in here?" Rusty questioned. "Wait did you just say job?"

"I did," Danni smiled. "If you are interested and Captain Raydor agrees of course."

"Oh she will," Rusty nodded.

"What did you want to ask me?" Danielle pulled out the chair to Rusty's new desk.

"How sick can someone get from not sleeping or eating much?" Rusty's face was a mix of emotions as he took in his work station but the worry that plagued his mind keeping him from being able to totally focus.

"It all depends on the cause. Rusty, are you having problems eating and sleeping?" Danni tried to remember when was the last time she saw the young man eat.

"No," Rusty shook his head. "It's Sharon. Please don't say anything; I don't want it to get her in trouble at work or anything."

"Why isn't she sleeping or eating?" Danni pulled a chair over to listen to her young friend's concerns.

"She caught case five days ago," Rusty explained. "There is this guy, like a really bad guy. He's killing kids my age that have been staying in a half way house and they can't catch him. I think she's having nightmares when she tries to sleep so she just stays up."

"Could it remind her of what happened to you with Phillip Stroh?" Danielle pushed gently hoping that she could help Rusty with his problem; Sharon was the constant in his life.

"I guess it could," Rusty shrugged. "Never thought of that."

"Well," Danni smiled. "I need to go check Lt. Flynn's blood pressure; he's overdue for that. Text someone see if they are all there and if they've eaten. We'll get them some food and see if we can't get her to eat something."

"Is there any way you can like just check her over and not tell her I asked you to?" Rusty's eyes flashed so many emotions that Danni wanted to hug him tight.

"I can be very observant," Danni winked. "Tell me more about why you think it is the case that is getting to her and not something else."

"Let me text Buzz first," Rusty let his fingers fly across his phone trying to get as much detail as he possible could from the other party. "Okay, well… she doesn't bring work home very often and she has had these files with her every day. She looks at them when we eat and that is breaking her rules, you aren't supposed to do anything but talk about your day and eat at the table."

"Good rule," Danielle smiled. "What else?"

"I got up last night to get a drink of water and she was still sitting on the couch reading the file at 2:30 a.m." Rusty paused to read the incoming text from Buzz.

"Do you know for sure it is the case file?" Danni pulled a menu from her desk drawer.

"Buzz said they are starving, everyone is there and they will be for a while. Sharon is pacing around the murder room and he said she looks like she's ready to bite someone's head off. Yeah, it is the file because I looked at it when she was in the shower to make sure." Rusty stood and watched as Danielle picked up the phone and placed the food order.

"I'll pay you back," Rusty felt frustrated.

"No you won't, I want to do this. Call it my bonding experience; they call me sometimes to ask medical questions so maybe if they actually spend time with me they will be a little less formal when they do."

Danielle's bag was hanging from her shoulder and her arms were filled with food, along with Rusty's, as they made their way into the murder room. All eyes flashed to them and the boxes in their hands; this group looked hungry and frustrated. Danielle allowed her eyes to wander person to person, the doctor in her assessing the state of each one.

Andy was the first one up to take the box from her arms. "Here Doc," Andy smiled. "Let me help you."

"Thank you," Danni watched Flynn for a moment. "Why don't I check your blood pressure while I'm here? I will keep in mind that you've been working hard."

"Captain?" Andy tried to get Sharon's attention. "Okay to borrow your office for a couple minutes?"

"Yeah," Sharon nodded. "I'll just grab my tea and it is all yours."

Danielle was almost finished by the time Sharon made her way into the office. "You're good; meds are working. Captain? Would you let me check yours; you look a little flushed?"

"What?" Sharon was caught a bit off guard. "Oh, I'm fine but thank you."

Flynn took his cue and left the office; he could tell that Danielle was a woman on a mission. Shaking his head at the inquisitive eyes as he made his way back to the desk, he took a seat. "Doc is persistent; give her a few minutes with her."

"Is that why you didn't fight her?" Provenza questioned.

"Are you kidding me? She is what stands between me working and not working; plus she's a real sweetheart. The kid's been to hell and back; got to cut her some slack."

"Well hopefully she gets somewhere with the Captain," Provenza gave the closed office door a glance.

"If you are fine this won't take long," Danni smiled.

"I have work to do," Sharon pushed past the doctor and made her way back into the murder room.

"Captain?" Assistant Chief Taylor made his way towards her. "LAPD brought in a man matching the description the witnesses gave in the half-way house case. He's in interrogation two for you to question."

"Julio," Sharon watched as the detective at the last of his sandwich. "You're with me. Buzz, I need you and Lt. Provenza in electronics as soon as you're finished eating. I'll walk slow."

"Ma'am?" Julio stepped to Sharon's side. "You haven't eaten much the last few days; you should eat at the least the soup."

Sharon's stomach lurched at the thought of food; she just couldn't handle the thought of food. "I'll heat something up after we're done in interrogation."

Danielle stood back and watched the determined woman while giving Rusty reassuring glances along the way. She couldn't force Sharon to comply; she'd have to wait her out and wear her down a slowly.

As soon as Raydor was out of ear shot, the young doctor turned to the room of detectives. "She's a very strong willed woman."

"You're not kidding," Andy chuckled.

"Perhaps you would like to watch an interrogation?" Provenza suggested. "See how we do things? Observe the Captain at work?"

"I can do that," Danni's smiled reached her eyes making them dance with mischief; this group of detectives was a very sly group.

The interrogation was a dead end leaving Sharon and the team more frustrated than they had already been. Standing from the table to leave the room, Sharon was hit with a wave of dizziness that made the world off kilter.

"Captain?" Julio steadied his superior officer with a hand on her elbow.

"I'm fine," Sharon reassured. "Just stood up too fast."

Taking a deep breath, Captain Sharon Raydor stood tall and turned and walked towards the door. It wasn't until the door closed behind her that the next wave of dizziness hit her throwing her off balance.

"Easy," Provenza said softly as he and Flynn steadied her.

"Jesus, Sharon." Flynn's worried voice cut through her fog. "You really need to take care of yourself. Let's get you to a chair"

"Lieutenants?" Sharon's voice cracked as her vision started to grey out.

"Captain!" The voices rang through her head as the veil of darkness consumed her.

Nice reviews are appreciated! So… Just how do you think Chief Taylor will react if he finds out Sharon's not fit for duty in the midst of a huge case? No, seriously, what do you think because I'm wanting input!


	2. Chapter 2

Special thanks for all the reviews, PMs, Favorites and Alerts. Have I mentioned my Beta rocks? Kudos to Phantom Rosabelle. If you haven't… go check out her stories. They are awesome!

"Don't let her fall," Provenza snapped as Andy grabbed Sharon around the waist.

"I've got you," Andy reassured as he watched Sharon struggle through the encapsulating darkness.

"Let's get her out of the hallway," Danielle gave a questioning look at the team until someone opened the door to an empty interrogation room.

Andy eased her across the hallway and into a chair. "Let's give the doc a few minutes with her."

"Thank you," Danielle moved a chair in front of her patient so she could be close enough to keep her safe. "Andy, find me some juice, a candy bar and get that soup heated up for her."

Sharon blinked several times trying to clear away the fog that had settled in and push through the dizziness. "Are they gone?"

"They are," Danni reassured as she gently measured Sharon's pulse. "You're going to be okay. Do you think you can sit alone for a moment? I'd like to get you something to drink and let Rusty in."

Clearing her throat, Sharon gave a slight nod. "Yes."

Opening the door, Danielle was met by the worried faces of the squad. "I'll take the drink and the candy. Rusty, you come with me. She's going to be okay; I'll come get you when she's ready to see you."

"Tell her," Provenza paused. "Tell her that we're going to catch this bastard so she can get some rest."

"I will," Danni's eye filled with tears; this group really cared about one another. "I'll be out in a little while; go finish eating."

Rusty entered the room, his eyes filled with fear and worry. He wasn't sure what he expected when he walked in but Sharon sitting with a death grip on the handles of the chair was not it. "Hey," the greeting was soft but let her know it was him. "You okay?"

"I will be," Sharon's body was so tense it looked like it was going to snap in half.

Danielle pulled a chair for Rusty to sit right next to Sharon while she took her spot in front of her patient. "Easy, honey. Let go of the chair; we're not going to let you fall." Danni gently pried Sharon's hands from the arm of the chair and held them in her own for a moment. "Breathe, take some deep breaths. Rusty, put a straw in that and give her a drink."

"Here you go," Rusty held the straw to Sharon's lips. A shaky hand came up to hold the drink which Rusty steadied for her. "Small sips just like you tell me when I'm sick."

Sharon managed to finish the juice and several pieces of the candy bar allowing the sugar to do the job it was intended. Danni brought the soup and some pasta for Sharon to eat. The color started to return to her face mid-way through the meal. Her mind wandered thinking about the reaction of the team and how gentle Rusty and Danni were with her.

"Sharon?" Rusty was suddenly sitting beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…" She didn't want to lie to Rusty so she shrugged; she really didn't know if she was okay or not.

"You sorta faded out there for a bit," Rusty's hand was on her back rubbing it lightly and suddenly Sharon's mind clicked that she was missing some time.

"Sharon, I'm going to check your blood sugar." Danielle made quick work of setting everything up. The pop of the lancet into Sharon's skin made the ailing woman jump but much to his credit, Rusty grabbed her free hand and held it tight.

"She's almost done," the words from the teen were the balm that kept her in control of her emotions.

"You have learned a lot about medicine," Sharon whispered feeling very impressed by her young man.

"Danni's great at teaching me things," Rusty felt a bit uneasy.

"He's a sponge," Danni teased. "Smart as can be too. You're blood sugar is still a little low; we're going to give it a little bit of time then I'll recheck it."

"There was a sandwich for you too," Rusty headed towards the door.

"Okay," Sharon nodded.

"I want to examine you after you eat," Danni kept her voice soft; the last thing she wanted to do was upset Sharon.

"I'm just tired," Sharon's eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "I just need the food and a nap."

"Both of which you're going to get," Danni reassured. Before she could say anything else, the door opened and Rusty was followed into the room by Assistant Chief Taylor.

"How is she?" Taylor questioned gently.

"In need of her sandwich," Rusty nudged the man out of the way.

"Sit with her," Danni smiled at her friend. "I'm going to talk to Chief Taylor."  
As soon as Danni at Taylor out of the room, Rusty reassured Sharon the best that he could. "Trust Danni; she's not going to let him mess with you."

"Talk to me," Taylor leaned in. "What's going on with her?"

"Her blood sugar is low and she's exhausted," Danielle gave Taylor a look that screamed don't mess with me. Taking a step back inside, he studied Sharon closely.

"Get her back on her feet," Taylor watched for a moment more. "I want her to have a good physical before she's back out in the field. I'm going to bench her until you a chance to look her over."

"Understood," Danni walked back into the room and placed a supportive hand on Sharon's shoulder. "Sharon, Assistant Chief Taylor is going to put you on desk duty until you're feeling better and I give you a clean bill of health."

"I've never," Sharon started to argue.

"Could I have a minute?" Taylor interrupted looking at Rusty and Danielle.

"Sharon?" Danni watched as fear and confusion flashed in her patient's eyes. "Rusty, why don't you get yourself something to eat and allow us to have a few minutes."

"You're going to stay with her?" Rusty watched Danielle closely.

"Not leaving her side," the comment was punctuated with the action of Danni pulling a chair next to her patient and placing a supportive hand on her back.

"Captain," Taylor looked a bit uncomfortable but his concern outweighed the discomfort. "You've been under considerable stress since you took over Major Crimes and became Rusty's foster parent."

"I am able to do my job." Sharon started to argue; she felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not saying that you are not," Taylor moved a chair to sit in front of the Captain hoping to appear less threatening. "It's just time you give yourself a break. Provenza has calmed down; you don't have to work as hard to prove yourself. You've turned it around, Captain. Have some faith in that the standards you've set will be upheld in your absence."

"Thank you, Chief." Sharon sighed and took a bite of her sandwich. Taylor left without another word to the exhausted woman.

"Let him bench you for a couple days," Danni sighed. "It will be enough time for you to rest and for me to have a chance to make sure you're okay. It will give you some time to hear Rusty's news too."

"What news?" Sharon questioned as her foster son walked back in the door.

"Danni offered me a job," Rusty's face brightened up as he talked. "She even invested in a computer and work station for me. You should see it, Sharon. I'm in her office but that's not because she has to watch me but so I can listen to my music and do my work. I can still go out and play chess though right?"

"You can," Danni laughed. "I think the guys would stage a protest if I didn't encourage it."  
Sharon smiled with pride as she finished the sandwich. Danni and Rusty filled her in on all the responsibilities he would have and all the things he had been doing at the clinic lately. By the time they were done, Sharon's color was much better and the dizziness had subsided.

"You ready to go home now?" Danielle questioned softly.

"I should stay," Sharon countered. "This case, I have to see through."

Rusty stayed with Sharon while Danielle made her way out into the murder room. Returning with Buzz and Andy, Danni put a plan into place.

"You're going home," Andy gave Sharon don't argue with me tone. "Buzz is going to put something on your laptop so you can stay connected to the murder room in case we need you."

"I really should…" Sharon's statement was cut off by a yawn. "Listen."

"I'll have you hooked up by the time you make it to the murder room." Buzz promised and took off to add the upgrades.

"Can you bring her?" Rusty questioned Danielle. "I'm going to go home and get some things ready for her so she doesn't have to wait for me."

"I can," Danielle laughed at how quickly Rusty took off for the door. He stopped long enough to promise everyone that he would text them if they needed anything and he would update them

Turning to Sharon, Danielle watched Sharon carefully. "Think you can make it to the car?"

"I do," Sharon nodded. "The dizziness is much better. What did Rusty have to go get ready?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Danni took in the perplexed look on Sharon's face. "He loves you."

"I know," the reply came with a smile and a tear that told all anyone would ever need to know.

Your input has been requested LOL : Rusty is going to be left alone with Sharon soon… what would you like to see?


	3. Chapter 3

The walk through the murder room to the elevator should have felt uncomfortable; the woman of power was weak and needing care. In Sharon's mind, this made her less of a person to her squad. She expected looks from them that showed their disappointment in their leader but what she got instead was a group of people that actually cared.

Danielle smiled at the group as Sharon walked supported at her side. The gentlemen were waiting to walk their fearless leader to the car while Sykes had gathered her belongings and trailed after.

Flynn and Provenza managed to worm their way into Danielle's spot leaving the doctor to follow behind with Amy. Together, they made their way through the murder room to the elevator. Louie and Andy flanked Sharon's sides keeping a hand on her back to keep her steady. By the time they made it to the car, she was exhausted and stumbling over her feet.

Easing her into the car, Andy paused for a moment only to be pushed out of the way by Provenza. Louie gently reached over and clicked the woman's seat belt in place while here eyes were closed trying to ward off the dizziness.

"Do you want one of us to follow you?" Provenza questioned the doc. "Help you get her inside?"

"Rusty will be there," Danielle reassured.

"I'll go with them," Fritz's voice echoed in the parking area. "I was on my way out anyway. Taylor is looking for you guys; I told him I'd send you up."

Fritz followed Danielle all the way to Sharon's condo. Thanks to a text to forewarn him they were on their way, Rusty was waiting in the parking garage when they pulled in.

"I turned back the bed and I made up the couch," Rusty explained. "If you can stay, I will go get some groceries so she has food to eat."

"I'll go with you," Fritz volunteered. "I kind of owe her one for helping Brenda."

"She fell asleep as soon as we got on the road," Danni said softly as she eased the door open. "Captain Raydor? Sharon?" Danielle gently reached across and unclipped the seat belt. "Captain? Hey there, wake up. You're home."

"Wha?" Sharon blinked hard. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize," Danni reassured. "These two handsome men would like to escort you upstairs while I get your things."

"Rusty," Sharon's eyes danced and a smiled pulled at her lips; she loved her young man so much. "You don't have to keep looking after me, honey."

"Yes, I do." Rusty argued lightly. "I want to do this, Sharon. Right now; you need someone to take care of you."

Sharon stumbled and fell into Rusty. "You're right; I do." Entering the elevator, Sharon leaned hard on Rusty, the exhaustion was starting to win out. There was no denying that she was bone numbing tired with no energy to make from the elevator to the condo.

Noticing the color drain from her patient's face, Danielle stopped the trio as they got out of the elevator. "Captain? You doing okay?"

"Really dizzy," Sharon whispered.

Fritz gently picked her up while Rusty unlocked the door. "Couch okay?" Fritz questioned as Sharon held on tight.

"Bedroom," Sharon whispered grateful that Rusty took off down the hallway in front of them and opened the door. Fritz eased Sharon onto the bed stepping back when Rusty jumped in to ease her shoes off.

"Okay guys," Danielle smiled. "Give us some privacy; I'll help her get changed. Get her something to drink; I will let you in when we're done."

Rusty and Fritz made their way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Both men went cupboard by cupboard making a list of what they needed. Looking through the fridge and freezer, Rusty rattled off the thing they were almost out of while adding things he would need to cook some meals for Sharon.

"You're a good guy," Fritz commented. "She's lucky to have you here."

Danielle gently examined her patient and helped her change. By the time they were done, Sharon was completely exhausted but the dizziness had eased a bit. "I want to do some blood work, Captain; get an idea of what's wrong. Your blood sugar levels are better; not great but better."

"Please call me Sharon," the older woman allowed Danni to tuck her in. "I think we could be good friends."

"I think so too," Danielle pulled the items she needed to draw some blood watching as Sharon shivered at the sight of the needle. "Do you want Rusty?"

"No,' Sharon shook her head. "Never been a fan of needles when they are being used on me. I'm fine when you want to use them on someone else."

"Let's see what kind of veins I have to work with here," Danni gently took Sharon's arm in her hand. "You're a very tiny woman; your personality makes you much bigger than you actually are."

"I will take that as a compliment," Sharon snickered.

"It was meant as one," Danielle teased as she continued to search for a vein. "I have a reputation of only sticking someone once; you're not going to ruin that. You are a bit dehydrated; it's not helping my search for the good vein."

A knock on the door interrupted the vein search. "Is it okay to come in?"

"It is," Danni called back relieved to have Rusty join her to offer support. "Agent Howard went grocery shopping for us. I tried to talk him out of it but he feels he owes you for saving Brenda."

"Sounds like a good friend," Danni commented before turning to Rusty. "Could you run a wash cloth under some hot water for me?"

"Trying to get a vein to pop out?" Rusty questioned as he handed Danielle the glass of OJ for Sharon. "You should hear them at the clinic; Danni's the one everyone yells for when someone has hard veins to find at the clinic. Doesn't matter what she's doing; it's funny."

Rusty climbed on the bed and talked Sharon's ear off to distract her from what Danielle was doing. The woman didn't even flinch when the needle entered her arm; she was so engrossed in Rusty's conversation.

"Your reputation is still good," Rusty joked as Danielle capped the last vial of blood and cleaned Sharon's arm up.

"Okay," Danni smiled. "You sleep and get some fluids in you. Rusty, I want her to eat something in a couple hours. Take her temperature every two hours for me and keep a chart; if it goes above ninety-nine text me. I'm running these to the lab and I will be back in a little while. Any other changes like vomiting, fainting, shaking or a fever, I want to know."

"Got it," Rusty smiled. "I will take care of her."

"You're the best person for the job, my friend." Danielle squeezed Rusty's shoulder. "Sharon, you rest. Bed or couch is your only two options. I don't want to find out you were working before I get back."

"Understood," Sharon smiled. "I want to go to the living room."

"Not yet," Rusty stopped her by pulling the covers up and tucking them around her. "Brenda's husband will be making noise when he comes back and we're going to be noisy putting stuff away. You need sleep; uninterrupted sleep. Close your eyes, I will sit with you until you fall asleep."

"I can't believe I allowed Agent Howard to carry me," Sharon snorted with a smile.

"Well, the alternative was face planting in the elevator," Rusty countered with no heat. "Close your eyes; you need sleep."

"Rusty," Sharon sighed as she looked deeply into her son's eyes.

"I know Sharon," Rusty took her hand in his own. "I always know."

"Me too," the words were a whisper as she relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

Rusty watched Sharon sleep only easing off the side of the bed when Fritz texted that he needed help with the groceries. He would give anything in the world to make her feel better and he'd do what he had to do in order to help. Life was certainly much better he realized now that he had someone that really cared about him and it was his mission to make sure she knew he cared too.

~More to come~


	4. Chapter 4

**Note**: Thank you for the reviews! I tried hard to work in everyone's requests and keep the flow of the story. Request: More Fritz… done… some rusty & Sharon moments… done :) I Hope you enjoy!

Fritz helped Rusty put the groceries away; he felt a bit uneasy leaving Rusty alone until they heard back from the doctor. "You doing okay with all this?" Fritz questioned having been told the young man's background.

"I'm worried about her," Rusty looked towards the hallway. "She's never been sick since I've been here. I think sometimes she hides things from me so I don't worry about her but I always worry about her. She's a police officer; I will always worry."

"I used to have nightmares that Brenda got killed," Fritz revealed watching as Rusty's shoulders tensed then relaxed. "Those are normal because of what they do; you know that right?"

"I guess," Rusty gave a nod. "I've just never had someone that cared about me before like Sharon cares about me."

"Never cared about someone the way you do her too," Fritz suggested. "Difference between having a parent that cares what happens to you and …"

"And one that finds you to be an inconvenience." Rusty finished the sentence.

"Sharon loves you," Fritz smiled warmly at Rusty. "I don't think any of us think of you as her foster son; you're her son."

A cough from the bedroom interrupted the conversation; Rusty grabbed a bottle of water jogged down the hallway. "You okay?" Uncapping the water, he handed Sharon the bottle.

"Yeah," Sharon nodded as she tried to catch breath and take a drink. "I think I swallowed the wrong way in my sleep."

Rusty watched Sharon carefully as she took another drink. "Danni said you need fluids so finish that." Pointing to the bottle, Rusty stood pausing to watch Sharon. "I'm going to go get you a bagel; I'll be right back."

"Rusty," Sharon called out to the young man. "I.. thank you."

"Agent Howard?" Rusty called to the man hanging outside the door. "Could you keep an eye on her for a minute; make sure she drinks that bottle of water?"

"I don't need anyone to keep an eye on me," Sharon argued as Fritz made his way into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Doesn't hurt to be looked after once in a while," Fritz gave Sharon a reassuring smile. "It makes him feel better; let me do this."

"Thank you," Sharon sighed as she took another drink of the water. "He's a good kid."

"I can see that," Fritz turned towards the door to see if Rusty was near. "He cares about you a lot; let him help you. He needs that right now."

"He spent so much time taking care of his mother," Sharon shivered at the sound of the word. "I don't want him to relive that or feel that I am burdening him like she did. He missed out on a childhood because of her."

"You're not my mother," Rusty made his way into the room with a bagel. In the next second, he caught the hurt look and the tears that formed in Sharon's eyes and knew that he hadn't expressed his feelings correctly. "You're nothing like my mother, Sharon. Eat the bagel then you are going back to sleep." Rusty made his way toward the bedroom door feeling the need to retreat only to pause and turn to look at her. "Just so you know this is the happiest I have ever been."

Nodding, Sharon struggled against the tears watching as Rusty retreated from the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. Once away from the audience, the young man swiped away the tears that betrayed him; before he could lose himself in the memories of his mother, his phone beeped with a text.

_Danni: How's the patient?_

_Rusty: Woke up coughing gave water and bagel_

_Danni: Fever?_

_Rusty: no thermometer, battery dead_

_Danni: Be there w/i hour w/ supplies_

_Rusty: TY_

Taking the time to figure out what meal he was preparing next, Rusty put everything in place and put the meat in the fridge to thaw. He was going to follow Danni's orders to the letter. He needed to prove to himself that he could be someone better than how he was raised.

Fritz was still on the edge of the bed with his hand protectively on Sharon's arm when Rusty entered the bedroom. "She okay?"

"Fell asleep mid-sentence," Fritz snickered. "I think she's dreaming; she keeps twitching." Fritz's phone buzzed, the noise roused Sharon slightly. Grabbing the phone, Fritz read the text turning it to show Rusty that he was being called out.

"Danni's on her way," Rusty nodded. "I've got this."

"I'll check in later to see how she is." A gentle squeeze of Rusty's shoulder gave the young man enough reassurance to take a seat and soothe Sharon back to sleep.

Rusty sat deep in thought about all he'd been through since meeting Sharon. His mind lingered on the moments he had brought the woman to tears with his attitude. He'd apologized to her repeatedly and meant it but what if there were days she thought about those times and they hurt her all over again?

"Rusty?" Sharon's voice cut through is thoughts. "Where'd you drift off to?"

"Day dreaming," Rusty lied. "Did I miss something?"

"I called your name three times before you answered me," Sharon smiled. "Want to talk about it?"

"I know I was a pain in the ass when I came to live with you," Rusty sighed.

"Honey," Sharon started to sit up only to have Rusty move closer.

"Please," Rusty adjusted the blanket so she would lie back down and rest. "I need to say this."

"Okay," Sharon studied his face. "I'm listening."

"When I first came to live with you; I was angry, really angry. I said some things; some really mean things that I didn't mean." Rusty paused to compose himself almost losing his composure when Sharon squeezed his hand. "I never meant to hurt you, Sharon."

"I know," Sharon smiled before allowing her eyes to slide shut all the while holding her son's hand.

"Hey," Danni said softly as she walked in on Rusty. "Agent Howard let me in; I didn't want to interrupt you so I waited until I couldn't hear talking anymore."

"She just got back to sleep," Rusty whispered. "Do you have to wake her up again?"

Shaking her head, Danni pulled a notepad out of her pocket and wrote; 'I'll go start dinner; you sit with her.'

Sharon slept under Rusty's watchful eye for a couple hours; the young man didn't get bored or tired of just being there to support his foster mother. The smell of dinner filled the condo and soon both mother and son's stomachs growled.

Sharon woke with a giggle. "I think mine was louder than yours."

"I don't know what Danni's out there cooking but it's driving me crazy," Rusty laughed.

"Help me up," Sharon eased herself from under the covers and waited as Rusty wrapped her robe around her and slid slippers on her feet. Pulling her up gently, she put an arm around her waist and led her as far as the bathroom door.

"You ok?" Rusty watched as she cautiously walked into the bathroom.

"Yeah," Sharon smiled. "Don't go far though; just in case." Taking care of pressing matters, Sharon stopped to wash her hands and look in the mirror. "It's okay to need someone." She told herself. "It doesn't make you weak."

"It really doesn't," Rusty said from the doorway. "You are the strongest person I know, Sharon. You're not weak; you're human. I think you forget that."

Wrapping his arm around her midsection, Rusty walked Sharon out into the kitchen area slowly and gently deposited her in a chair at the table.

"You're driving us crazy," Sharon teased. "That smells wonderful."

"You haven't lived until you've had my chicken and dumplings," Danni teased as she peeked into the oven. "We have about ten minutes left which is just enough time for me to check on my favorite patient. How are you feeling, honey?"

"Better, still tired but much better," Sharon's coloring was slowly returning along with her appetite.

"Your blood work came back that you're anemic so I got your some vitamins with Iron to help with that," Danielle pulled a stethoscope from her pocket and listened to Sharon's lungs. "You're a little congested. No fever though so we'll keep an eye on your lungs but all in and you're doing better. Some food and some more rest should do the trick."

"She'll get it," Rusty called from the kitchen area as he peeked through the glass of the oven door. "How long before this is ready?"

"He's never full," Sharon laughed.

"You gotta love growing, teenage boys." Danielle teased as she got up to check her dish.

"I do," Sharon smiled at Rusty. "I really do."


	5. Chapter 5

Rusty and Sharon both dug into the chicken and dumplings eating as if they had never seen a meal before.

"That was amazing," Sharon complimented. "It's been a long time since I have had something where every bit of it was homemade."

"We might have to have Danni come cook for us more often," Rusty teased resulting in laughter from both women.

"Rusty," Danielle had been studying the young man while they ate. "Why don't you go rent some movies to keep our patient entertained while she rests?"

"Sci-fy?" Rusty questioned as he stood to carry his plate to the sink.

"Anything but a police drama," Sharon groaned. "Need a break from that."

"You will stay with her?" Rusty gave Danielle a hard look that said don't you leave her. Making Sharon a cup of tea, Rusty placed the warm drink in front of her and took her plate.

"I will," Danni smiled. "We're going to do some girl things."

Walking Rusty to the door, Danni smiled when the young man turned around his eyes filled with such emotion it was all she could do not to hug him. "How long do you want me gone?"

"You are very perceptive," Danni winked. "Give me a couple hours with her; let me see if I can get to the bottom of what's bothering her."

"I need to run some errands can you stay until I get back if it's more than two hours?" Rusty had some ideas he wanted to work on.

"I can," Danni smiled. "I've got this; I'm a professional, remember."

Walking back into the condo, Danni fussed with the dishes while Sharon finished the cup of tea that Rusty had made her. "You don't have to stay if you are busy."

Walking over to the table, Danielle sat down and gave Sharon such a loving looking that it brought tears to her eyes. "I am right where I want to and need to be. You're stuck with me for now. What do you say to a nice hot shower and then we get you settled on the couch?"

"That sounds really good," Sharon smiled. The whole process of getting showered and changed exhausted Sharon. By the time she was out of the shower and dressed, she had no strength left for much else.

"How about I blow dry your hair for you?" Danielle smiled and pointed to the chair at Sharon's make up vanity.

"Thank you," the words were soft, barely spoken. Sharon closed her eyes and allowed the warmth of the blow dryer to take away the chill that had set in. Losing herself in the moment; she was mesmerized and moved by Danielle's gentle touch.

"Honey," Danielle called softly as she put things away. "Let's get you back to bed."

"Couch," Sharon shook her head. "I want to spend some time with Rusty."

Sharon leaned heavily on Danni as they walked back to the living room. Settling the exhausted woman onto the sofa, the young doctor tucked her in before taking a seat next to her. "You feel like talking for a minute?"

"I think so," Sharon was feeling cautious and a bit uneasy.

"I saw the murder board earlier," Danni started slow. "The young men resemble Rusty. Sharon, is that why you're not sleeping well? Are you dreaming about Rusty?"

Nodding, tears stung Sharon's eyes. "He dies in my dreams; I can't save him."

"But you did save him; more than once according to Rusty." Danielle took Sharon's hand in her own. "Let it go, Sharon. You cannot keep reliving those moments; you got to him in time. You're a mother; you know there is no way that you can protect them from everything this life has to throw at them. You did your duty as an officer of the law; now work on just being his mother."

"Guardian," Sharon corrected. "I'm his guardian."

"On paper," Danielle smiled. "You're his mother in your heart."

"Do you have children?" Sharon was very curious about this woman that was showing her and Rusty so much compassion.

"I'm expecting my first in six weeks," Danielle watched as Sharon's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"A baby," Sharon's eyes moved to Danni's belly; there was a definite bump there now that she looked. "There's nothing like that feeling of holding your child in your arms for the first time."

"I've been told it's the most amazing experience of my life. You just rest; I'm right here to keep the dreams away." Danielle gave Sharon's hand a squeeze. The moment was enough to relax the exhausted woman and pull her under a deep veil of sleep.

Sharon was sound asleep when Rusty returned; he entered the condo so quietly that Danielle didn't even hear him from where she was working at Sharon's desk.

"Hey," Danni whispered. "She's okay; got a shower and has been sound asleep for a couple hours. I even took her temperature without waking her."

"I need your help," Rusty walked down the hallway with the bags in his hand. "Can you please wrap these for me? I really cannot wrap a present; I tried and it didn't go so well."

"Sure," Danni laughed. "Leave this to me; you go get the rest of the stuff. I could see a plan forming in your head as you left. It's her birthday?"

"Three days ago," Rusty sighed. "She was so busy with work we didn't get to do anything."

"Do you want a cake?" Danni's face lit up with excitement.

"That would be great. The team wants to do something for her but I don't know if she's up to it right now." Rusty sighed. "I don't want to put pressure on her."

"From what you've told me," Danni started wrapping as she was talking. "They gave her a very hard time when she first took over the division."

"They were pretty horrible to her," Rusty nodded. "I was too."

"Maybe they just want to be supportive and to see with their own eyes that she is okay," Danielle suggested.

A light knock at the door sent both Danielle and Rusty running for the living room. Danni went to her startled patient's side while Rusty answered the door.

"Shhh…" Danielle soothed Sharon back to sleep. "It's okay; sleep."

"How is she?" Provenza questioned Rusty in a whisper.

"She's sleeping." Rusty moved aside allowing Provenza into the apartment.

"Good Lord," Provenza groaned. "Why is she not in bed where she can get some decent sleep?"

Startling awake, Sharon took a deep breath before allowing Danielle to help her into her robe. "Do you have news about the case?"

"We've been trying to reach you on the computer," Provenza explained. "Didn't you hook it up?"

"She's been sleeping, Lieutenant." Rusty sighed. "That's the whole point of her coming home was to sleep. If you really needed her; I have her phone right here."

"Guess I didn't think of that." Provenza took a good at the Captain. "Did you feed her?"

"They have fed me quite well," Sharon laughed. "I'm being well cared for, Lieutenant." Sharon looked at Rusty and Danielle with a warm smile.

"What did you need from her, Lieutenant?" Danielle stepped to Sharon's side.

"They found another body," Provenza said softly.

Rubbing her hand over Sharon's back, the doctor waited a moment before speaking. "Do you need her back at the station?"

"No," Provenza gave the doctor an odd look. "Just wanted to update her."

"She's updated," Rusty moved from the door to Sharon's side and led her back the couch.

"How is she?" Louis questioned the doctor quietly as she walked him to the door.

"Better," Danni was honest. "Not great but better. Rusty said the team wants to do something for her birthday."

"We discussed it," Provenza sighed.

"Rusty will text you details." Danni closed the door so she could return to her new friend's side. "How is she?"

"She fell back to sleep," Rusty sighed. "Why did he have to do that? I hope she doesn't start having nightmares again."

"If she does," Danielle ran her hand over the top of Rusty's head. "You'll be there to comfort her. Don't let her hide it. I'm going to go finish my project then pick up some things . "

Rusty stayed close while Sharon slept; he had hoped that his presence was enough to keep her calm. When she jerked awake thirty minutes after Danielle left, Rusty found that he was much stronger than he thought.

"It was just a dream," Rusty reassured as he sat on the floor next to the couch and took Sharon's hand. "Close your eyes, sleep."

"Rusty?" Sharon's hand went to his face to caress his cheek. "Those boys could have been you. What if I hadn't gotten to you in time?"

"But you did, Sharon." Rusty put his hand over hers where it rested on this cheek. "I'm safe because of you; I'm always safe because of you."

"I was so scared," Sharon closed her eyes trying to fight the emotions. "So scared I wasn't going to get to you in time."

"But you did," Rusty moved to sit on the edge of the couch with Sharon. "You have to stop reliving it, Sharon. It's making you sick." Picking up the thermometer form the coffee table, Rusty eased it under Sharon's tongue leaving the woman feeling even more vulnerable. "It's over and I'm safe." The thermometer beeped easing the moment with the distraction.

"One Hundred," Rusty's heart skipped a beat; this was the first reading that was above her normal 98.3.

"I'll be okay," Sharon reassured then laughed. "We seem to be taking turns on reassuring one another, don't we?"

"We do," Rusty chuckled as he picked up his phone and texted Danielle. "Are you comfortable? I can help you back to bed if you want."

"What I want is for you to put in a movie and watch it with me." Sharon pointed to the stack of DVDs on the coffee table.

"Danni says you need to take a fever reducer and that she left a bottle on your desk," Rusty got up and grabbed the bottle veering off to the kitchen for a glass of water. Uncapping the bottle and shaking out the two pills, Rusty helped Sharon sit up so she could take a drink.

"You're very good at this," Sharon whispered as she settled back against her pillows. "You've learned a lot at the clinic."

"I like it there," Rusty sighed. "It's nice to do something that makes a difference instead of always causing people so many problems."

"Rusty, you came with challenges but I wouldn't trade them for the world." Sharon's love for this young man poured into every word.

"Really?" Rusty's question just about broke Sharon's heart.

"Really," the smile that graced her lips told Rusty all that he needed to know.

Note: So the question is… what would Rusty get her for a present? I wrote that in there and now I'm sitting here thinking… I really don't know. LOL


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: May be viewed as out of character in some spots. Mushy moments ahead.!

The fever reducer worked for a little while but before she was due for the next dose, Sharon was feeling achy and just not right. Rusty had been carefully watching her and picked up on the change early on. Danielle was on her way back to the condo as he sent the message stating he thought that something else was going on with his foster mother.

Rusty relieved Danni of the packages in her arms so that she could go see her patient. "Hey there," Danni's eyes danced as she gently felt Sharon's forehead. "Let's get you off the couch and into bed, honey. I'm going to look you over a bit."

Sharon didn't argue; a true testament to the fact that she wasn't feeling well. Rusty fussed in the kitchen as the doctor walked her patient to her bedroom and closed the door. The sound of vomiting filled the condo and sent Rusty running for the bedroom.

"Grab a couple wash cloths," Danni instructed. "Run one under cold water, wring it out and hand it here." Sharon sighed with relief as the cool cloth was placed on her neck. The second wash cloth was warm and Rusty used it to gently wipe the tears and vomit from Sharon's face.

"Honey," Sharon's eyes filled with fresh tears. "I don't want you to have to take care of me."

"This is nothing like taking care of my mother," Rusty threw the soiled cloth into the laundry and ran a clean one under cold water to place on Sharon's forehead. "You're sick not drunk."

Sharon's stomach rebelled again sending her doubled over the toilet to empty the contents. The vomiting seemed to go on forever; both Rusty and Danielle holding onto Sharon to keep her from getting hurt.

Painful stomach cramps rippled through Sharon's stomach causing the ill woman to moan soflty in pain. "Breathe," Danni coached. "I'm going to grab my bag; I'll right back." The lady doctor jogged back towards the living room for her bag and her phone; she was pretty sure she knew exactly what the outcome was going to be but she prayed she was wrong."

There was a knock on the door as Danielle was making her way back; she quickly opened it to find Fritz there. "Great timing, I may need you in a few minutes; she's puking up her toenails."

"She's not stopping," Rusty's panic was evident as Danielle entered the bathroom again with Fritz hanging in the doorway. Drawing up a syringe full of medication, the doc lowered Sharon's PJ bottoms just enough on one side to expose her hip before injecting the medication.

The medication brought blessed relief as the nausea started to ebb allowing Sharon to relax. Rusty's quick reflexes caught her before she could hit her head on the wall as she slumped in exhaustion.

"Can we move her?" Fritz questioned.

"Sharon?" Danni was checking her patient's pulse as she called out to her. "How are you doing?"

"That sucked," Sharon snickered. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Rusty reminded her as he held her up. "Can we get her into bed now?"

"Ready to move, Sharon?" Danielle questioned.

"Floor is hard," Sharon allowed Rusty and Fritz to help her up only to have her legs give out on her.

Fritz gently picked her up feeling her body tense. "I've got you; it's okay. Just relax, rest." Easing Sharon onto the bed, Fritz stepped back to allow the doctor to do her thing; the fragility of the woman before him was evident; she looked as if she could shatter.

"Why don't you two give us a few minutes," Danielle pointed towards the door. As soon as it clicked closed, the young doc started to thoroughly examine her patient. "Tell me if I hurt you or if you are uncomfortable." The touch was a gentle as she could make it but Sharon winced a few times. "I'm done, honey; so sorry."

"What's wrong with me?" Sharon's voice cracked.

"You've got the flu most likely because you were run down already. I want to run some IV fluids and meds." Danielle watched as Sharon's face flashed a panic. "Calm down; it's okay. Let me call over to the clinic and have one of my nurses pack some things up; I'll send the guys to get it. I'll stay with you while it runs through so you don't have to go into the hospital. You will not get any rest in the ER anyway and you need sleep."

Rusty was such a supportive presence and Fritz a huge help at setting up things. The IV went in on the first try and much to Sharon's surprise didn't hurt that much. "You are so gentle; thank you."

"You already feel crappy," Danni smiled. "I don't like to hurt my patients." With everything attached and taped down, Danielle injected some meds into the IV and watched as her patient struggled against them. The fluids were running while Sharon slept under the medicated fog that Danielle had forced upon her. Rusty paced in and out of the room like a lost child.

"Come here," Sharon whispered when she woke up from her first nap. "Climb up here with me."

"I won't hurt you?" Rusty was nervous.

"No," the shake of her head and the pat to the bed was all Rusty needed to join her. Together, they slept until morning under Danielle's watchful eye.

Fritz texted the doc as he got in the elevator. Fritz barely touched the door; he didn't want to wake Sharon.

"How is she?" Fritz questioned. "Does she need to go to the hospital?"

"She's resting and doing better," the doc reported. "I think we've turned a corner; she'll be okay here as long as she rests.

"Why don't you go lay down on the couch for a while," Fritz guided her from the room. "That IV looks like it has a while on it yet and you have been up for over twenty-four hours. I will keep an eye on them; Brenda is going to stop over at lunch and bring some food."

"Thank you; wake me if she needs me. Be sure to take her temperature if it goes back to 100 wake me." Danielle was out before her head hit the pillow; her hand protectively rubbing her belly in her sleep.

Fritz made his way to the bedroom where he began picking up the items that had accumulated over the last twenty four hours. Cleaning up in the bathroom, Fritz's heart clenched slightly for the woman; she had to be pretty damn ill.

Green eyes were tracking his movements when he emerged from the bathroom. "Hey, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I've been sleeping forever," Sharon groaned. "Where's Danielle?"

"Sacked out on the couch," Fritz said softly then nodded towards Rusty. "Kid is pretty worried about you."

"I know, they have both been so attentive," Sharon ran her hand over Rusty's hair causing him to stir. "Don't know what I would have done without them."

"You okay?" Rusty's eyes flashed to Sharon then Fritz.

"I'm okay, honey. I promise." Sharon snuggled closer to her son and together they fell back to sleep. It was two hours later when Danni emerged from her nap to check on her patient.

"They're still sleeping," Danni was touched by the scene before her. "I'll inject her meds so she can keep sleeping." Injecting the medication into the IV line, Danielle took great care to be careful and not cause her patient any distress.

It was eleven in the morning when Danielle made her way back into the bedroom needing to check her patient over and get some food into her system. "Sharon," the voice was soft and kind as it woke her. "I need to check you over a little, honey. Can you sit up for me?"

"How long have I been sleeping?" Looking around, she couldn't find her glasses and she suspected that was on purpose.

"You've been out for the biggest part of thirteen hours," the soft voice was so soothing; so trustworthy. "You need to get up and eat, sweetheart."

Rusty jumped out of bed. "Give me twenty minutes to get a shower and changed before you get her up, please."

"Okay," Danielle laughed. "It may be a little longer than that by the time I look her over and help her up."

"Agent Howard, I need your help." Rusty took off out of the bedroom leaving a confused Sharon behind.

"What is that all about?" Sharon's quizzed with a smile. "The three of you are up to something."

"We are," Danni nodded. "I have a feeling you're going to enjoy it though so just relax."

Sharon tensed a bit; the fact that three people in her home were able to pull one over on her had her a bit unnerved. The young doctor picked up on the change in her patient immediately and sat down on the bed facing her.

"Put your glasses on," Danni handed them over. "Look at me."

"Okay," Sharon took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was coming.

"You have nothing to worry about," the words came as the doc picked up Sharon's wrist to measure her pulse. "It's a surprise for you that Rusty put together. Your birthday isn't going uncelebrated; it's very important to that young man."

"My birthday?" Sharon's face suddenly dawned with realization. "That was this past week; I totally forgot about it; we were so busy with this case."

"Rusty didn't forget," Danielle gently eased Sharon back into the pillows and started poking around on her belly pleased that it wasn't as tender as it had been. "You are doing much better."

"Feel much better," Sharon sighed. "I do need a shower though; I stink."

"We'll get you a cleaned up and moving towards the kitchen for some tea and toast."

Sharon showered while Danielle and Fritz changed the sheets and blankets on the bed and sofa. By the time she was finished, she was feeling a little woozy and called out to Danni for help which unnerved Rusty and Fritz.

"Danni?" Sharon's voice carried from the bathroom sending the young lady running, tossing the dirty laundry at Rusty.

"You okay?" The question was full of concern as Danni stooped down to be at eye level with a seated Sharon.

"Got dizzy," Sharon explained. "Blood sugar is low."

"We'll add some honey to your tea," Danielle helped Sharon towel dry her hair and pull her bathrobe and slippers on. "Ready, sweetie?"

"Yeah," the first couple steps were wobbly as the ailing woman clung tightly to her friend.

"Rusty, let's add some honey to her tea and put some jam on her toast." Danni's instructions sent Rusty running for the kitchen as Fritz took his place on Sharon's opposite side.

"I'm kind of liking this carrying you to places," Fritz teased as he picked Sharon up and carried her out of the room and to the sofa. "I feel very heroic, my lady."

"Thank you," Sharon's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

"Tea with honey," Rusty handed over the cup. "Toast with jam coming up next."

The coffee table caught Sharon's eye; there were several neatly wrapped packages on it and a box that looked suspiciously like something from a bakery. Allowing her eyes to wander over the presents, the emotions started to overwhelm her.

"Rusty?" Danni called to the young man.

"Coming with the toast right now," Rusty placed the plate on a tray and carried it with a glass of juice over to the sofa and placed it in Sharon's lap. Stepping back, he took in the tears in his foster mother's eyes. "Here," Rusty picked up a flat box that was neatly wrapped in shiny blue paper.

With trembling hands, Sharon accepted the box and carefully removed the wrapping paper. A beautiful sterling silver picture frame with the word family engraved on it. The picture displayed was a candid shot of Sharon with Rusty, both were laughing at something someone said; they looked happy.

"Oh Rusty," Sharon's fingers lightly brushed over the picture. "I love it. Thank you so much." Hugging it to her chest with one arm, Sharon worked on her toast with the other.

"Here," Danielle eased the picture from Sharon's hand and placed it on the soft table facing Sharon to free her hands. Breakfast brought color back to the Captain's pale face and the thoughtfulness of her friends put a smile there.

"You ready for more presents?" Fritz questioned as he handed her a box from himself and Brenda.

"Nice sweater," Sharon whispered as she felt the soft material. "Thank you so much." Danielle's gift to Sharon was a book of poetry by an author that Sharon loved. Looking at the young woman, Sharon's astonishment was written all over her face.

"I noticed you have a book by the same author that has seen a lot of attention," Danni smiled. "Those particular pieces are very soothing and will keep you nice and relaxed while you enjoy your other gift." Handing a basket filled with candles, bubble bath, bath salts and relaxation CD and a sound machine, Danielle back away to allow Sharon a moment to compose herself.

"The best one was saved for last," Danielle handed Rusty the small box and watched as he moved to Sharon's side to take a seat.

"I had to do some investigating," Rusty smiled. "Your kids are very nice, by the way."

"You talked to my children?" Sharon was astonished.

"I did," Rusty smiled. "We all went together and got you this." Handing the nicely wrapped box over, Rusty watched as Sharon's hands held the box so gently. Unwrapping it, she gasped when she saw the bracelet that contained three birthstones next to her own; those of her children.

"It's beautiful," Sharon whispered. "Thank you." Tears flowed as Rusty placed the bracelet on his foster mother's wrist.

"I love you." Rusty whispered as he closed the clasp and that's when Sharon's world shattered with a sob.

"Let's leave them alone," Danielle handed Rusty a box of tissues. "I'm in the other room if you need me."

"Sharon?" Rusty handed her a tissue. "Are you okay?"

"I am," the nod was quick as she swiped at her eyes.

"I've never seen you cry," Rusty watched with amazement as a tear ran down the side of her face. Gently, he reached up to catch it and brush it away.

"Not all tears are sad ones, Rusty. It's been a long time since I've felt this loved." Sharon squeezed his arm.

"It's been a long time since I felt unloved," Rusty shrugged and hung his head; he didn't want Sharon to see his tears.


	7. Chapter 7

Honey," Sharon looked at her new friend. "You're exhausted; go home and get some sleep."

"Let me check you over a little," Danni sat down on the edge of the sofa. "If I'm happy with what I find, I will do just that." Rubbing her belly, Danni winced and Sharon's eyes sparkled knowing there was a brand new life growing inside her new friend. "Give me your hand," Danni gently placed Sharon's hand on her belly so she could feel the baby kick.

"I always loved that feeling," Sharon whispered softly. "Do you know what you're having?"

"No, this little one does not want to cooperate for mommy during an ultrasound." Danielle giggled and it lightened Sharon's heart.

"Your husband?" Sharon pushed softly as she marveled at the feeling of the life beneath her fingertips.

"My husband was killed in the line of duty," Danni's eyes filled with tears. Recovering quickly, she lowered the blanket over her patient's stomach. "Well since we're in the belly feeling moment; it's time for me to feel yours." Danni laughed. "I need you to tell me if it's still tender, honey." Danni was as gentle as she could be but Sharon still winced slightly under increased pressure. "Okay, I'm done hurting you. I'm going to write you some prescriptions to help get you back on your feet. I will have them delivered for you ma'am. You rest; I want as much fluids as you can tolerate to drink. Rusty has your meal and snack schedule; just at least try to eat part of what he brings you. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you but if you need me before then just call me."

Pulling Danielle in a hug, Sharon held on tight as if she could pull all the pain and sadness away . "Thank you."

"It's my honor," Danni smiled. "Get some rest and take it easy; those are my orders. Happy Belated Birthday." Rising to her feet, Danni kissed the top of Sharon's head; her heart just felt so bonded to this woman.

"I like her," Sharon smiled as Rusty came to sit on the couch with her after showing Danni out.

Picking up her feet, Rusty settled in as he placed them in his lap and began to rub her right ankle. "I do too; she's good at her job. She said rubbing this ankle and foot will relieve the pain you're having and not telling us about. Did you hurt your ankle running down the stairs to save me?"

"How did she know?" Sharon tried to remember limping or doing anything that would give away that her left foot and been bothering her. The trip down the stairs barefoot had been a necessity but not without injury; she had reinjured her ankle on several occasions since mostly because she hadn't stayed off of it in three months.

"Don't even try to figure it out," Rusty snickered. "She's good; they think she has x-ray vision at the clinic."

"I should do something nice for her," Sharon shivered slightly. "She's been so good to me."

"She would tell you that getting better is all the thanks she needs so you're going to finish your juice she brought you then you're going to your room for a nap." Rusty watched some emotion flash in Sharon's eyes that he hadn't seen before. "Sharon?"

"I'm just tired, honey." Sharon sighed.

"Let's watch a movie until you fall asleep. I don't think a nap out here will hurt." Rusty clicked on the movie and started rubbing Sharon's sore ankle again.

"Do you forgive me for not finding your mother?" Sharon questioned Rusty out of the blue.

"She abandoned me, Sharon. I could never be mad at you for that; I'm mad at her." Rusty sighed heavily.

"If she came back tomorrow," Sharon's heart was hurting for her young man but she was curious as to how he was thinking." "Would you go with her?"

"I'm happy where I am right now," Rusty fixed Sharon's blanket. "I'd like to stay here with you." Taking Sharon's hand in his own, Rusty ran his thumb over her birthstone and his; he really loved this woman like a mother."

"Why haven't your children come to visit you since I've been here?" Rusty pushed gently.

"Their father," Sharon sighed. "They do not want to have to go visit their father and if they do come here they would feel obligated to do so."

"Was Jack that bad?" The question was of curiosity not to push her buttons.

"We lost our home because of his gambling debts; he got mixed up with some very bad people and they came to collect on the debts." Sharon explained softly but her eyes were far away and it worried Rusty that he had pushed her too far. "He was verbally abusive."

"Did he ever hit you?" Rusty squeeze Sharon's hand a little trying to offer support

"No, he could be rough but he never hit me or the children. In his own way, he loved us." Sharon sighed as she settled into the pillows and closed her eyes.

"Loved?" Rusty pushed gently.

"Not everything lasts forever," the words came softly as Sharon's exhaustion finally won out and she was pulled under a veil of sleep. Sharon's hand relaxed in Rusty's and he knew she was not merely dozing; he sat watching and praying that bad dreams would not touch her.

The smell of food cooking woke the sleeping patient from her dreamless sleep. Careful not to stand too quickly, Sharon got up and made her way to the bathroom then the kitchen. "Rusty?" Looking around, she couldn't find the young man anywhere; her heart started to pound hard in her chest. She should have known something was wrong when she made it to the bathroom and back without a fuss.

"Rusty?" Panic started to settle in; her voice cracking from the emotions that threatened to consume her. Making her way down the hall, she found his room empty as well as the main bathroom. He wasn't in the apartment; her heart was beating so loudly she could hear it in her ears.

"Hey," Rusty came in the door to the apartment with a bag from the pharmacy and the mail in his hands. Placing the objects in his hand on the table inside the door, Rusty watched as Sharon grabbed onto the wall for support. Wrapping his arm around her waist, the young man guided her down the hallway to her bed. "You're shaking." Worried, Rusty sent Danni a quick text for help.

Closing her eyes, Sharon took several deep breaths trying to calm down. "You weren't here; I knew you should be but you weren't."

"I'm sorry," Rusty lowered her onto the bed and swung her legs up so she could rest. "I went down to get the mail and your prescriptions that Danni had sent. I thought you'd still be sleeping." Rusty stood helplessly watching as Sharon fought to control her emotions. Startled by the ringing of his phone, Rusty answered it his voice shaking. Relaying to Danni what had happened; he listened very intently to her instructions.

"Comfort her," the words were soft. "Sit with her, hold her hand let her know you're there and okay. She loves you, Rusty. You're her child and it's her job to keep you safe. She feels she failed at that and I'm sure waking up; she was a little disoriented and still sick left her feeling scared when she couldn't find you. If you need me, text me and I'll come over. If not, I will come tonight before she goes to bed for the evening just to make sure she's doing okay."

"Thanks," Rusty hung up the phone and walked to the bathroom. Wetting a cloth with cold water, the young man made his way back to his foster mother and placed it over her closed eyes. "It's cold," Rusty warned before allowing the cloth to touch her skin. Taking her hand in his own, he sat down and just let her be for a few moments.

"Rusty," Sharon's voice was thick with emotion. "I am sorry. The food was cooking, you weren't here I didn't know what happened. My brain was too fuzzy to connect anything; I hate this. I am a police officer; I shouldn't panic."

"You're sick; you keep forgetting that." Rusty said softly. "It's going to get better. Do you think you can eat something? I have lunch ready; if you are."

"I'm not really hungry," Sharon shook her head. "Danni said I have to try to eat part of what you make though."

"I'll give you a small portion," Rusty said gently. "Rest for a few minutes; I'll be back."

Ten minutes later the young man came into the room carrying a tray. Placing it off to the side, he helped Sharon sit up before placing it over her lap. "I know you have rules about eating anywhere but the table but I think it would be okay to break it today. You need to rest and eat; this is the best solution."

Sharon ate quietly; her appetite a little bit better than she originally thought. The silence in the room became too much for her and she looked at Rusty with such a sad expression that he wanted to cry. "Do you ever think about what might have happened to you if you had not been forced into police protection?"

"All the time," Rusty said softly. "I owe you my life."

"Sometimes, I think about it and I can't breathe." Sharon looked at her son. "You wouldn't have survived out there much longer, Rusty. You should never have been forced into that life by anyone let alone your mother. You are a good person; when I think of how she allowed people to treat you. It…." The nausea hit Sharon like a freight train as she thought of all the things that could have happened to her young man. Pushing the tray towards Rusty, Sharon started to hop off the bed only to be stopped by Rusty. "Breathe, Sharon. Relax and breathe. You're okay; relax. " It took a few moments before Sharon was able to relax enough for the nausea to ebb. "You're not going to throw up; breathe."

"Where did you learn that?" Sharon was breathing heavily struggling to work through the emotions but the question came with a look of pride and a great deal of love.

"Picked it up at the clinic," Rusty shrugged. "One of the patients had a panic attack and that's what the nurse did for them."

"It worked," Sharon leaned back into the pillows; she was bone tired now.

"I am going to take the dishes to the kitchen then I think we both earned a nap." Rusty picked up the tray and hurried to dispose of the dishes and get the dish washer going. He was working hard to make Sharon proud. By the time he got back to the bedroom, his patient was sound asleep but she had fixed a place for him so he would get some decent rest himself.

The text from Danni letting him know she was in the parking garage is what woke Rusty up. Looking at the clock, he was panicked to realize they had slept for seven ours. Hopping out of bed, he stopped long enough to watch Sharon breathe for a moment before going to let Danni in.

"Don't be mad." Those were the first words Rusty mumbled when he opened the door.

Taking in his sleepy state, Danielle gave an amused look. "Why don't you want me to get mad?"

"I fed her lunch then we went to sleep," Rusty sighed. "I didn't mean for us to sleep this long."

"It's okay," Danni reassured. "Go get a shower to wake up. I'll check on Sharon and start dinner if she's still sleeping soundly.

Blurry eyes met Danni as she walked into the bedroom with her bag in hand. "Danni?" Sharon was confused as she struggled to get her brain to cooperate.

"Hey sleepy head," Danni teased. "Rusty's taking a shower. Why don't you use the bathroom and then we're going to see how you're doing."

"Wow," Sharon looked at the clock. "That nap was a lot longer than we intended."

"Rusty panicked a bit." Danielle laughed.

"Can we go to the kitchen?" Sharon questioned softly.

"We can," Danni nodded and walked closely to her patient to make sure she wasn't going to have any issues. "Let me check your temperature and blood pressure; we'll start dinner to help Rusty out."

By the time Rusty came down the hallway, Sharon was sitting at the counter cutting up vegetables while Danni worked on slicing the meat and buzzing around getting everything together to cook.

Making his way to the fridge, he poured himself a glass of milk then a second glass for his foster mom.

"You're making your stir fry?" Rusty's eyes danced and his stomach roared loudly with hunger making Sharon giggle. Handing Sharon her milk, he watched as she studied the glass.

"You know you actually have to pick it up and drink it for it to do you any good." Rusty teased. Sharon tensed and the nausea started to creep back.

"I am making stir fry. I'll switch with you, Sharon. I'll take the milk and you can take my ice water, I'm not in the mood.," Danielle laughed. "Rusty, Why don't you go watch TV, check your email, do something for you for a bit."

"What?" Rusty looked hurt; he wasn't sure why they were trying to get rid of him all of a sudden. Seeing the flash of emotion, Danielle mentally berated herself before turning back to her friend.

"I'll look after Sharon; she's doing very well actually. You need some time to do your Rusty thing; you've been taking care of her non-stop for 2 days now."

"I don't mind," Rusty argued.

"I know you don't," Danni smiled. "My point is that you need some time for you to recharge. Go recharge while we cook."

Grabbing the laptop, Rusty moved to the counter to still be with his foster mom and his friend. Checking through his email, he read a few of the jokes that his friends had sent out loud keeping everyone entertained. Moving to the headlines of the newspaper, Rusty hopped down and went running to find Sharon's phone.

"We have twenty missed calls from Provenza. The news says they caught the killer." Rusty handed Sharon her phone and gently placed an hand on her back as she listened to the messages. A knock at the door startled everyone; Rusty moved to answer it with Danielle following close behind.

"We came to check on you," Flynn smirked as he watched Louis squirm.

"Come in," Rusty moved out of the way and Danni moved back to the kitchen to add more meat and vegetables so Sharon's guests could stay.

Pulling her robe tight, Sharon looked at the two members of her team "Gentleman, what can I do for you?"

"We tried to call," Provenza defended. "We were worried when we couldn't reach you."

"Thank you," Sharon blushed. "We fell asleep with the ringer off on my phone."

"We caught the scum," Flynn watched Sharon's face carefully; he knew this case as feeling personal to her. "He's dead, Sharon."

"Good," the voice was cold and unforgiving as she turned to sit back down at the counter where she'd been cutting vegetables relieved to find that she had more to cut; she needed something to do. "Would you two like to stay for dinner? Danielle is a wonderful cook."

"We would love to," Provenza took off his hat and draped his suit jacket over the back of the dining room chair. "What can I do to help?"

Rusty watched as the two members of Sharon's team that he considered family worked side by side with his friend; they had come together for Sharon.

"So doc," Flynn poked. "When are you going to give our Captain a clean bill of health to come back to work?"


	8. Chapter 8

Note: I had several requests for this chapters so I tried hard to work them all in there.

Danielle reassured Flynn and Provenza that Sharon would be returning to work soon; she was on the mend. Provenza took Sharon a glass of water under Rusty's quiet suggestion.

"Captain?" Provenza called to his superior, his friend as he placed the glass in front of her. "You seemed to have been in deep thought."

"Sorry, Lieutenant; I was thinking about something Danielle told me earlier. I was wondering if you might be able to help me gather some information."

"What kind of information is that?" Provenza loved being needed.

"Danni said her husband was killed in the line of duty; I would like more information on that." Sharon's eyes glanced over at her new friend with her son and Andy.

"Flynn knows the details; I do believe. He said something yesterday about her having been to hell and back." Provenza switched spots with Andy to allow him to help their Captain.

"Andy, how did Danielle's husband die?"

"He stepped in front of a bullet to save a kid that he had taken to the ER where she was working." Andy whispered. "Danni was there; couldn't save him."

"Oh God," Sharon's hands trembled. "Did they catch the person that killed him?"

"No," Andy shook his head. "Some rule changes came down and the suspect walked. Alvin Walker was his name. You may have heard about it working FID."

Sharon's mood changed with the news. Danielle was the first to notice it when Sharon shrugged off the gentle hand that Danni had rested on her back when she went to place Sharon's dinner in front of her. Pulling back, Danielle gave Rusty a confused look; she had no idea what she had done in such a short expanse of time to upset her patient.

Motioning for Rusty to follow her, Danni hugged her friend. "Keep an eye on her but get some rest yourself. Take her temperature every four hours and if it goes up take it every two. You have her medicine that was sent over earlier; start her on that tomorrow morning. She took the stomach medicine earlier so she is not due for another dose until the morning. If she has any issues, call the office and have Linda get me a message. I'd like to see her for a chest x-ray and some more blood work tomorrow afternoon. I will schedule her with the nurse practitioner so she doesn't have to see me for a while."

"I don't know what happened," Rusty was just as confused as Danielle.

"Me either," Danni smiled. "Go eat your dinner before it gets cold; I am going to go home and get some sleep. My back and feet are killing me. Text me, I will check my phone when I get up. If you need me, call my house phone."

"I'm sorry," Rusty put a supportive hand on her arm.

"Hey, it's okay." Danielle smiled one last time at her young friend and headed out the door; she was feeling exhausted and emotional about the situation.

Rusty's return to the table without Danni prompted some odd looks from the trio but he ignored it and set out eating his dinner. "This is really good; I'm going to ask her to teach me how to make this."

Dinner was quiet; Sharon had donned the Captain's mask and was politely addressing her officers while participating in conversation. By the end of the meal, Provenza pulled a card from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

"We wanted to do something for you," Louie cleared his throat. "Everyone chipped in to get you that."

"Theater tickets," Sharon smiled. "That is very thoughtful of you; thank you."

Flynn and Provenza smiled at the Captain then excused themselves as they could see the fatigue starting to set in. Mindful not to coddle her, the gentlemen wished her a happy birthday with a peck on the cheek as they left.

As soon as the door closed, Sharon made her way to the kitchen to help Rusty put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Do you want some help?" Sharon walked to the sink; she was feel a little like a stranger in her own home.

"You rinse and I will put them in the dishwasher and wipe down the counters," Rusty made quick work of putting things away, Danni had picked up after herself as she went but with so many bodies in the kitchen; the space was a little cramped.

"That was good," Sharon said softly. "Danielle is an excellent cook."

"She cooks for us all the time at the clinic," Rusty said softly.

"Rusty?" Sharon took in the sudden change of her son. "What's wrong?"

"Why are you upset with her, Sharon?" Rusty's eyes were stormy. "She was hurt when she left; we can't figure out why you are mad."

"I…" Sharon sighed; she really had no idea what was wrong that she had turned such a cold shoulder to the young doctor. "I don't know."

"Okay," Rusty nodded and sighed; he couldn't be angry with Sharon.. not really; she wasn't herself. "How are you feeling? You look like you're getting tired."

"I am," Sharon shivered. "A little and I'm cold."

"Danielle wants you to have a chest x-ray and some blood work done tomorrow," Rusty broke the news to Sharon gently as he handed her sweater to her. "She's concerned; you're going to see the Nurse Practitioner, Leslie. She said the afternoon; I will check in and see if they want you to just come in or if you need a set time."

Sharon didn't speak; she simply nodded and started towards her room with Rusty following behind her to shut off the lights. The sound of whimpering woke Sharon around 5 a.m., pulling on her robe; she went to check on Rusty. The pitiful sound was coming from behind the closed bathroom door.

"Rusty?" Sharon knocked then eased the door open. "Oh honey," grabbing a wash cloth, the mother in her took over as she ran it under cold water and put it on the back of his neck. "Breathe, sweetheart. Easy now, you're okay."

"Head hurts," Rusty started shaking as cold from the tile floor soaks into his body. "You should go back to bed; I don't want you to get sick again."

"I'm not leaving you in here, honey. Are you done throwing up?" Sharon reached over and flushed before closing the lid and urging her young man to get off the floor. Taking the time to wet a wash cloth and clean off his face, help him brush his teeth; Sharon sighed with relief when she was able to get him tucked back into her bed where he was closer to a bathroom.

Rusty's eyes were filled with tears when Sharon finally sat down beside him. "Thank you."

"Shhh.." Sharon whispered as she picked up the thermometer and slipped it under his tongue. A moment of panic hit when she read the 104.2 on the screen. "Where's your phone?"

"Bed," Rusty mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Close your eyes and try to sleep," Sharon pulled the covers up before placing a cold cloth over his eyes going in search of the phone. Seeing that Rusty had already text Danni, Sharon sighed in relief. The young woman's last text stated that she was getting dressed and heading over to check on her young friend.

Danni lightly knocked on the door; she had texted Rusty's phone as soon as she pulled into the parking garage. Sharon's presence at the door immediately concerned Danielle; putting her bag on her shoulder, hurried to put an arm around Sharon's waist to steady the shaken woman.

"Where is he?" Danni questioned as she led Sharon down the hall.

"My bed," Sharon said softly. "Closer to a bathroom. His fever was 104.2 when I checked it."

"You two don't do anything in a small fashion do you?" Danielle teased as she deposited Sharon on the chest at the end of the bed and moved to check her new patient. "Hey handsome," Danielle moved to check Rusty over a little. "Head hurts?"

"Yes," Rusty moaned.

"Do you get migraines?" Danni pulled her pen light out of her bag. "This is going to hurt, I'm sorry."

Rusty groaned and tried to pull away. "Damn it," the young man cringed away from the offending object.

"Let her help you, honey." Sharon placed a hand on his leg to the young man know he wasn't alone.

"You have a migraine," Danni said softly. "They can present with or without a fever; that's why they mimic the flu at times. I'm going to give you something for it and I want you to rest." Danni drew up a syringe of medication and lifted Rusty's shirt. Sharon had to turn her head as the needle plunged into her son's stomach.

"What about Sharon?" Rusty whispered softly as his medication took over and his pain started to ebb.

"I've got her," Danni reassured. "Try to relax. I'm going to check on you in fifteen minutes to see how you're doing. I'm going to take Sharon into the living room so you can have quiet. I'll look her over in there."

Sharon moved to Rusty's side as soon Danni stood up. "I'm staying with him." Gently, Sharon rubbed her hand up and down her son's arm to soothe him, get him to relax. It wasn't long before his breathing changed indicating that he was asleep.

"Open," Danni whispered softly as she came towards Sharon with a thermometer. "Turn just a little bit so I can get to your arm." Danni did her check without pulling Sharon away from her sleeping boy. Walking to the kitchen, the young doctor took down a glass and poured some juice before returning to Sharon's side. "Drink this."

"Thank you," Sharon took the glass from Danielle and drank the juice. "Do you have any idea what caused this?"

"It could be stress or hormones," Danni said softly. "I will run some tests later; do not stress yourself over this. "Rusty?" Danni whispered the boy's name softly trying only to rouse him enough to answer her questions. "How's the pain, honey?"

"Better," Rusty whispered.

"I need to check your blood pressure; Sharon's right here with you." Danni gently worked around the fretting mother. Satisfied that Rusty was doing better, the young doctor gently nudged her patient towards the middle of the bed. "Make room for Sharon."

Rusty made room and Sharon slipped under the covers sighing with relief when her son snuggled up beside her allowing her to rub his back until she fell asleep.

Making her way out to the living room, Danielle placed her phone on the table and laid her weary body down on the sofa. Sleep came quickly; the young woman had been on the go with her patients for the biggest part of forty-eight hours.

Rusty shook her gently a little after eight. "Danni," he's voice was sleep rough.

"You okay?" Danni sat straight up and put her hand to her young man's forehead. "Sit down, honey. What's wrong?"

"I came out to get something to drink; you need to call into the office before they send the cops looking for you." Rusty smiled.

"Shit," Danni caught a glimpse of the time and quickly made a phone call. "Thank God, they cleared my morning schedule as soon as they found out I was taking care of the Captain. Is she still sleeping?"

"Yes," Rusty nodded. "She's a little restless though."

"I'll look in on her," Danni groaned as she stood; a pregnant woman wasn't meant to sleep on the sofa. Walking into Sharon's bedroom, Danni saw exactly what Rusty had witnessed. Placing her fingers gently on the pulse point in Sharon's wrist, the doc measured her patients pulse before trying deciding on how to soothe her. "I'm going to let you try to calm her down." Stepping back, the young woman urged Rusty to give it a try.

Rusty's hand on Sharon's arm was all it took for her to settle into a more peaceful sleep. Shaking his head, Rusty was amazed at the trust and love Sharon had for him.

"I'm going to go," Danni sighed. "Get some more sleep and bring her to the clinic around four; I will get her set up with Leslie and we'll get a scan see if we can figure out what caused the migraine."

"You're going to be my doctor, right?" Rusty sounded nervous.

"Yes, I will take care of you and Leslie will see Sharon." Danni squeeze Rusty's shoulder.

"No," Sharon's eyes slid open.

"You have to go get checked over," Rusty started to argue.

"I will," Sharon yawned. "You're my doctor; if you're willing I would like to keep it that way."

"I can do that," Danni smiled. "I'll see you both this afternoon; both of you rest. Eat something and both of you drink lots of fluids."

Sharon was amazed at the changes that the clinic had been through under Danielle's supervision. She hasn't been inside since she had taken Rusty to get his stitches out a couple years prior.

"Rusty," Danni's hand immediately went to his forehead. "You're cooler now. Take Sharon into my office; we're running behind but I will be there as soon as I can." Turning back to the desk, she picked up the phone and arranged for the x-rays to be done for both her patients while they waited.

By the time Sharon and Rusty returned, Danni was in her office. "I am so sorry; it's been a hectic day. I'm going to take you both across the hallway to the lab; I will draw your blood much to the dismay of my hired vampire."

"You have to see this," Rusty snickered. "The lab tech is scared of Danni; she's going to wet herself when we walk in."

Donning a pair of gloves, Danni gently picked up Sharon's arm and rubbed it as she had before. Rubbing some cream onto the skin, she gently patted her patient's hand before placing it back in her lap. "I'll be with you in a minute." Sharon watched Danielle work so tenderly with Rusty; he didn't even flinch when the needle slid in and the vials of blood were drawn.

"You are good," Rusty laughed.

"Long live the queen," Danni joked as she changed her gloves and made her way to Sharon's side. "Rusty, did you show her around at all?"

"Just our office," his eyes lit up. "Do you care if I decorate my desk a bit?"

"Feel free," Danni whispered as she went searching for a good vein. "Sharon, I need to you to make a tight fist for me. There it is; knew I had a good one to work from. It's just finding that bugger."

With the blood draw out of the way, the lab tech stood back watching as Danielle pulled a few other things from the drawer. "Would you like me to do that for you, doctor?"

"I've got it." Danni took everything she had collected with her and motioned for Rusty and Sharon to follow her.

"Rusty, up on the exam table; Sharon, I'm going to put this chair here for you. Honey, I want to take a good look at your sinuses and your ears. Mark is going to take a good look and put it up on the screen so I can see. Mark is our eyes, ears, nose and throat specialist."

Mark examined Rusty carefully; he hummed and looked. "I would say that the sinuses are definitely infected and didn't help matters any but I do agree with your original summation, Danni. I would go with the CT scan."

"What? What about Sharon?" Rusty demeanor changed to a slight. Mark and Sharon both tried to soothe him without much luck.

"Your sinuses are a contributing factor to your pain; they are not the reason for the intensity. I want to send you for a scan to get to the bottom of the mystery. Sharon will be fine; Mark will walk you down for your scan while I look Sharon over."

"Okay," Rusty nodded. "You won't leave her?"

"I promise," Danielle turned to her patient and smiled. "I'll take good care of her." As soon as the door clicked shut, the doctor turned back to her worried patient. "Change into the gown and robe for me, Sharon. Are you steady enough to do it on your own? I can stay to help." Danni handed Sharon the garments.

"I'm okay," Sharon nodded.

"Okay, everything off gown and robe on. I am going to go find you some slipper socks. Damn it, I mean to have him x-ray your ankle while you were there. I will have him come to you. I will be back in less than five minutes with blankets and socks." Danni pulled out her phone as she was leaving the room.

Sharon changed quickly; she was feeling extremely nervous and worried; her career hinged on this checkup and the next on. Sharon's mind wandered to Rusty; the pain he had been in; the fever... the instant horror a mother felt and how much helplessness creped in when her child was sick. True to her word, Danielle returned with her arms full.

"Okay, let's get the socks on." Danni sat down on the stool at the end of the exam table and placed the right sock on Sharon's foot after checking the pedal pulse on her right foot. Sharon's left foot was still tender and after Danni checked the pulse she took the time to wrap it for her patient. "I want you to keep your weight off of this side through the weekend to give it time to heal. I want you to elevate it any time you're resting and put some ice on it during the evenings."

Sharon's ankle x-ray went quickly leaving the young doctor to do her job. Danni was gentle with Sharon; keeping her swaddled in blankets for warmth as much as she could. By the time the examination was over, Sharon was feeling a little more than vulnerable.

"How long will Rusty be?" Sharon looked at the clock.

"Go ahead and get dressed," Danni said softly. "I'll be right back; I want to get your blood work, Rusty's blood work and your x-rays. I will check on Rusty while I'm gone. Take a seat at the desk when you're done. I will leave you the blankets and I will be back in hopefully under ten minutes if my staff cooperates."

Once the doc returned, Sharon noticed how exhausted the young woman looked as she felt a bit guilty. "You need some rest." Sharon said softly.

"I will tonight," Danni smiled. "Rusty is almost done, they got held up by another patient."

With Sharon seated beside Danni at the examination room desk, she listened as the young doc spoke. "Let's start with Rusty. Like we confirmed with the exam he does have a sinus infection. The pharmacy has his antibiotics ready for pick up. As his legal guardian, I can tell you that his rapid HIV test was negative. We're going to keep him on a schedule to test just to be safe. I will look at the CT as soon as he is done then we'll figure out what to do next."

"Okay," Sharon whispered.

"Now," Danni smiled. "You are doing better. Your white cell count is up but that is most likely from the stress that you've been under. You're still showing some signs of fatigue, your blood pressure is a bit low. Overall, you're improving so what you're going to do is take it easy for a couple more days then come back here on Monday morning."

"Okay to come in?" Rusty knocked lightly.

"Come on in," Danni pulled a chair around for him to join them. "I was going over test results with Sharon. She is doing better; she just needs some more rest. Increase your fluid intake both of you. I am going to go check your CT results."

"You're sure?" Rusty looked at his foster mother with a great deal of concern flashing in his eyes.

"She's improving nicely," Danni sighed. "You both need rest; you have a stack of movies and enough food in the house to make sure that happens. Sharon's going to keep an eye on you to make sure you do not have any issues with the antibiotics and I'm sure you'll watch out of her with her medications too. You both know that you can text or call and I will be there if you need me."

Walking back to the office with Sharon in toe, Rusty sat down at his desk and started to enter a file while his foster mother watched him quietly. He pounded the keys taking out his frustration on the keyboard rather than his boss.

"Rusty!" Sharon's voice was sharp to get his attention. "Honey, I am feeling much better. She's not abandoning us; she's simply giving us space so that we can rest and take care of one another."

"Sharon, I am going to go check the scans." Danielle exited the room leaving mother and son to talk.

"What's going on?" Sharon's voice cracked.

"You are never sick; like ever." Rusty scrubbed his hand over his face. "You passed out, Sharon. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"I'm doing better," Sharon squeezed Rusty's shoulder. "She's a very good doctor and you're a very good nurse. I'm looking forward to a movie marathon with you; what do you say we pick up some more on the way home."

"I have a radiologist double checking my findings," Danni walked into her office. "As soon as she's done, I will have the report. It may take a few minutes."

"Do I have a brain tumor?" Rusty looked panicked.

"No," Danielle's head snapped up. "You do not have a brain tumor. In fact, I didn't see anything on the scans indicating an issue but I wanted a second set of eyes on it. Sometimes, they are stress related or a hormone issue. I am going to teach you how to inject yourself and Sharon how to inject you just in case it happens again. The final report should be here anytime."

Danni took the time to work with Rusty teaching him how to inject the medication and all the areas that were safe. After he managed to do two successful injections of saline for practice, Sharon was on tap and although her hands trembled she pulled it together to take care of the needs of her son.

"Doc?" the knock came at the same time.

"Come in," Danni called as she rubbed Sharon's back before easing the syringe from her hand. "Breathe honey," the words were soft in Sharon's ear.

"Did I hurt you?" Sharon gently rubbed the spot that she had injected. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"You had to do it for practice," Rusty reassured. "It pinches doesn't really hurt. Do you think that everything is okay? Danni looks really serious."

"Whatever it is," Sharon grasped his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

"All clear," Danni said softly after reading the final report. "The scans were clear; we triple checked them"

"Thank God," Sharon released a breath she was hold. "Rusty, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Sharon." Rusty smirked as he repeated his foster mother's word.

"Actually," Danielle laughed. "You're both going home to get something to eat and rest. I will bring your migraine medication by on my way home."

"Are you going to?" Rusty questioned Danni with eyes that were mischievous and held a glint of joy; something was up and Sharon was curious.

"I will," Danni winked. "I'll text you as I get in the elevator."

"What are you two up to?" Sharon questioned as Rusty led her to the car.

"One more surprise," Rusty smiled. "If you think you could handle a quick stop, I have an idea."


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you so much SChimes for sorting out my thoughts! I so appreciate you!

* * *

Rusty had grilled the staff on his way to get his CT scan about what Danni needed for the baby. The one thing he really loved about the clinic was that they were a family; everyone looked after each other and he was very surprised at how moved they were by his question.

"The nurses say that Danni has the furniture for the baby but nothing else," Rusty sighed as he got into the car to make the drive home. "Leslie and the others have a bunch of baby gifts for her but they aren't sure how to go about giving them to her without her getting upset."

"Why would she get upset?" Sharon questioned as her mind wandered.

"Leslie says that Danni is scared that if she gets things set up for the baby; it will bring bad luck. She's so scared her baby is going to die." Rusty shook his head. "That's crazy talk right?"

"She's shaken by losing her husband," Sharon whispered. "Were you wanting to get her a gift?"

"I want to but I want to help her set up the baby's room. I don't know what it needs but I don't think it is safe for her to do that. She could get hurt. Mark said that she's been getting a bit dizzy and he's afraid she's going to try to hang wallpaper by herself."

"Andy seems to know a lot about her," Sharon took out her phone. "Let's see if we can get some more information out of him."

"Hello Captain," Andy's voice filled the car. "What can I do for you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Andy. Rusty and I are just leaving the clinic; we've been talking with the staff and we have a question. Do you know how much work needs to be done at Danielle's to get the house ready for the baby?"

"It's a newer home," Andy replied. "I would imagine only some paint or wallpaper and the furniture. You and the kid planning something?"

"We were thinking about going over this weekend and helping her. I stole a look at her schedule and they have her off tomorrow and going back on Monday so we'll have four days to help her." Sharon paused and waited for Andy's input.

"Pack a bag," Andy laughed. "I know the kid well enough to know once you're there, she's not letting you leave; especially with you being under the weather. Listen Sharon, why don't I get the guys to come over and we'll get the wallpaper or paint done. Rusty can get her home office set up so she can do some managing from home while she's on maternity leave."

"Great idea," Sharon smiled. "Taylor has you off unless there is a case?"

"Yeah," Andy sighed. "He wants us to use comp time so there isn't so much OT on the books."

"Budget," Sharon groaned. "We are pulling into the mall, Andy. We should be home in an hour if we move quickly."

"I'll meet you there," Flynn laughed. "You're going to need reinforcements with Danielle and I will pick up some groceries so the guys do not eat her out of house and home."

Rusty rushed Sharon through the stores, he knew they had to beat Danielle back to the condo if their plan was going to work and they still had things to do once they got home. Sharon had eagerly agreed to Rusty's purchases, adding her own items as she went. By the time they reached the car, the last of her energy had depleted and her ankle was starting to throb.

"Are you okay?" Rusty questioned softly as Sharon's head rested against the cool glass of the window.

"Long day," Sharon smiled. "I'm tired; think we overdid it a bit but it was fun. I hope she's as excited as we are." Sharon yawned as she sank back into the seat.

"Danni's going to kill me," Rusty groaned as he took in Sharon's pale complexion.

"Just need a five minute nap," Sharon yawned as she fell asleep with her head pressed against the window. Ten minutes later, she was still sleeping when Rusty pulled into the parking garage relieved to find Flynn waiting for him.

"You sure you don't mind helping us?" Rusty questioned as he eased his car door closed; he didn't want to startle Sharon awake.

"After all Danni's done for me," Flynn shook his head. "I'm flattered to be included. Think we can get the Captain upstairs without waking her too much?"

"We can try," Rusty sighed. "Danni's going to kill me; I wore her out."

"I have a feeling Danielle is going to be too emotional to inflict bodily harm," Flynn chuckled as he eased the car door open. "Sharon? You'll sleep better upstairs; find your footing." Andy helped his boss from the car and waited for her to steady herself. "Feeling better?"

"I actually am," Sharon sighed. "We have a lot to do if we're going to pull this off. Rusty, you pack your clothes for the weekend while I get mine. Andy, would you mind pulling the food from the fridge that we can take to help out?"

"I don't mind; I also picked up some stuff. I'm willing to bet that she's pretty stocked up though; she's just the type." Flynn chuckled; Danni needed help getting her home ready for the baby and the trio was going to make sure she had it not to mention Andy had made a quick stop at the clinic for his blood pressure check in order to talk to the staff. They were more than on board with the idea and made arrangements to have their gifts at Danni's house early in the morning.

By the time Danielle arrived, Flynn and Rusty had the cars packed and ready to go except for the perishable items from the fridge that were bagged and ready. Sharon was sound asleep on the sofa when Rusty let Danni in. Flynn explained how to Danielle how they were going to help her get ready for the baby, which in turn dissolved the vulnerable woman to tears.

"I don't know how to thank you," the words were a whisper as she hugged Flynn and Rusty. Turning to see Sharon sound asleep on the sofa, Danni became worried. "Is she doing okay?"

"Don't get mad," Rusty defended. "We ran an errand after we left the clinic; she got tired."

"I'm not mad," Danni giggled. "Let me check her over a little bit; you can go ahead and go. We'll be along soon and I will get you two settled."

"We're going to head out," Andy pointed to the door as Rusty came from the kitchen with the perishable food. "Give me your keys; we can unload the car."

"Here," Danni handed Flynn her house key. "You remember where the keypad is? The security code is still your badge number; nobody will guess it."

"Wait," Rusty questioned. "Why does he know where it is and why was he at your house?"

"Andy is the one that set up the security system installation after my husband died," Danni sighed. "He and my husband were good friends; my father in law was Lt. Flynn's AA sponsor back in the day."

"Danni's patched me up on more than one occasion; doctored me through a few things too. We're out of here," Andy smiled. "Call if anything changes or you need help."

"Sharon," Danni sat down gently beside her patient and measured her pulse; her patient was sleeping so soundly, she didn't have the heart to wake her. Moving softy through the condo, Danielle poured Sharon a glass of water and walked over to the sofa. Taking a seat quietly beside her patient Danni gently placed her hand in Sharon's and squeezed.

"Danni," Sharon whispered as her eyes focused and she struggled to sit up.

"Easy," the restraining hands kept Sharon from moving. "I don't want you getting dizzy by sitting up too quickly. I brought you some water; let's get some fluids into you. You're still a bit dehydrated; I didn't want to detain you any longer at the clinic by starting another IV."

"You are going to exhaust yourself taking care of me," Sharon stated softly watching as the woman she now considered a friend took her empty glass to the kitchen and wash it.

"Well," Danni smiled as she walked back towards Sharon. "You're going to be staying with me for a few days, I understand. It will make it a bit easier for me. Sharon, are you sure you want to do this? I would love to have you and I appreciate the help but I want you to rest; really rest."

"I will," Sharon smiled. "You're having a baby; I'm just so honored to be able to help you."

"I appreciate it," Danielle smiled. "I go home from work and sleep; everything else takes the backburner with the hours I have been working."

"Are we going to keep you from work?" Sharon faked concerned as to not give away the rest of the plan.

"No, my schedule somehow cleared itself for the next four days. Think you're ready to go? Andy and Rusty already got a head start on us," Danni eased Sharon up and waited for the world to settle. "You okay?"

"I am," Sharon nodded as she allowed Danielle to help her to her feet. "I cannot believe I am still so tired."

"It's going to come with time," Danni said softly. "Time and maybe some relaxation; let's see what the weekend does. You have three or four whole days with me."

"If we don't drive you crazy," Sharon laughed.

The drive to Danni's was very nice; Sharon and the young woman getting to know each other a bit better. By the time they arrived at their destination, Sharon was very excited about what they had planned for their new friend.

The guys had the car unloaded; groceries put away and were putting dinner in the oven to warm when the ladies made their way through the door.

"Didn't know where you wanted us," Flynn pointed to the bags by the door.

"No problem," Danni smiled. "We have one spare room and the baby's room to work with in addition to my office. Rusty, go down to the very end of the hallway and flop on that couch and tell me what you honestly think because I have a backup plan."

The loud groan of satisfaction echoed through the house. "Guess it's a winner." Andy snickered.

"Okay then! Sharon, you are going to be in the spare room."

Sharon paused in the doorway of the master bedroom. "Your room is beautiful," Sharon was in awe of how feminine everything was in the room.

"I was very spoiled by my husband," Danielle smiled. "He loved me very much. Let's get that ankle wrapped a bit better for you. Hop up on the bed for me."

Sharon complied with a sigh of relief to be off the ankle. As soon as Danielle walked back into the room, she swung Sharon's legs up on the bed and put a pillow under her very swollen ankle. "Andy, grab an ice pack out of the supply closet please."

Flynn took one look at the ankle when he walked into the room and gave a questioning looking.

"Eight flights of stairs in my bare feet to stop my son from getting killed," Sharon explained.

The sound of the back door slamming startled all of them. Sharon struggled to get up to go after Rusty.

"Don't you dare move," Danni sighed as she placed the ice pack on Sharon's ankle. Turning to Flynn, she gave him a death glare. "You make sure she stays in that bed with that foot up; in fact stuff another pillow under it. I will go check on Rusty."

"So much for her getting to rest easier with us here," Sharon grumbled; she really wanted to go after Rusty.

"Hey," Danni moved to sit on the porch swing with her friend. "What's up?"

"Did you hear what she said?" Rusty mumbled.

"What is bothering you? That she hurt her ankle or that she called you her son?" Danielle watched Rusty's face turn a bit pink under her scrutiny.

"She thinks of me as her son," Rusty shuddered. "Why? I have caused nothing but trouble for her."

"I don't know about that," Danielle put a protective hand on her belly; her baby was moving all over a reminder at how fragile life is and how precious children are. "What I have seen is a young man that loves her so much that he's taken care of her through a health scare."

"Nobody has ever…" Rusty grumbled.

"Loved you like Sharon does?" Danni finished.

"Yeah," Rusty nodded.

"Give me your hand," Danni put Rusty's hand on her stomach so he could feel the baby move. "Do you feel that? That is my child; a child that I would give up my life for right now. A good parent loves completely, Rusty. A good parent would lay down their life for you without a second thought. Sharon didn't go after that psycho to save you because she is an officer of the law; she did it because she's a mother… a mother that loves her son."

"Did she notice that I stormed out?" The young man was suddenly worried that he had upset her.

"She noticed; tried to come after you." Pressing his hand harder to her stomach, Danni smiled as the baby gave one hell of a kick.

"Does that hurt?" Rusty's eyes filled with unshed tears as he felt the life under his fingers.

"Sometimes but it's worth it. Go get Sharon something to drink while I finish getting dinner ready. She's still a bit dehydrated; I want to push as many fluids as she will let us pour down her throat."

"Flynn will finish dinner," Rusty commented. "You come with me so you can wrap her ankle with that stuff you have in your hand."

"Guess it does do better on her ankle than in my hand, huh?" Danielle laughed.

"Hey," Danni walked into the bedroom. "Let's get your ankle wrapped while Andy pulls dinner from the oven then we will go eat."

Rusty walked into the bedroom with Sharon's pills and a glass of water. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, he handed her the pills to take. "Finish the water; Danni says you're still dehydrated."

Studying his face, Sharon slowly drank the cold water. "Are you okay?" Sharon's voice was soft as she questioned her young man.

"I am better," Rusty smiled. "Danni let me feel her belly; it made me think about things differently."

"Babies do that," Sharon smiled. "I didn't mean to upset you, honey."

"You didn't in a bad way," Rusty sighed. "Sometimes things get too big and I have to walk away for a little while. It's nothing against you, Sharon."

"I know," Sharon smiled.

"Let's take the ice off see how you're doing." Danni removed the ice pack and gently probed at Sharon's ankle getting a twitch from her patient. "Sorry, honey. Wrapping it will help." With the ankle wrapped, Sharon allowed Rusty to support her weight to the dining room where they had dinner waiting for them.

After a few minutes when Danni hadn't joined them for dinner, Flynn went in search of his friend. Knocking softly at the bedroom door, he paused when he caught sight of her sitting on the floor at the side of the bed a picture of her late husband clutched to her chest.

"You okay?" Andy moved to her side quickly.

"Some days, it doesn't seem real that he's gone and other days it's suffocating. There are days that it is so hard to breathe without him, Andy. I miss him so much; my heart hurts so much." Danielle sobbed as her friend hugged her.

"I know, sweetheart. You need to calm down; that baby of yours isn't going to like mommy getting so upset." Andy tried without success to get the tears to subside. "Let's get you off the floor; I am going to go get Sharon."

"I'm right here," Sharon gingerly walked to the side of the bed. "Let's get her up off the floor; a baby needs some room to move."

"Let me," Rusty moved to Danielle's side giving Sharon the freedom to turn back the covers on the bed and fluff the pillow. "Slow just like you tell Sharon."

Danni allowed the two men to pull her to her feet and guide her to the bed. Sharon pulled the covers up over the sobbing woman and took a seat at the bed's edge. "Go get me some water and a warm wash cloth."

Danni was so lost in her grief that it scared Sharon a bit. Gently, the older woman wiped off the tears and the makeup before having Andy help her sit the young woman up for some water. "Come on honey," Andy coaxed. "You need to drink; give that baby some water."

"You are really good with her," Sharon commented as they tucked the now sleeping woman back in.

"She's one in a million," Andy sighed. "Didn't deserve any of this crap; she should have her husband here."

"You two were close?" Sharon whispered. "The funeral you went to during the summer?"

"Yes," Andy nodded.

"You were so lost for weeks after," Sharon sighed. "I didn't know how to help you; Provenza suggested letting you just come to terms with it and a little TLC where we could."

"The lunches, the movies, the team picnic," Andy gave Sharon a half hug. "Thank you. Go eat; she'll have my hide if you don't."

"I am done eating," Rusty said quietly as he walked into the door. "I reheated yours; it's hot. I can sit with her."

Rusty sat quietly and watched Danni sleep; he was worried about his friend. Over the last three months of working with her; he had really come to respect her strength and compassion. It wasn't until his stint at the clinic that he started getting some direction for his life.

"You okay?" Danni's groggy voice broke Rusty from his thoughts.

"I am," there was a gentle whisper to Rusty's voice that made Danni smile. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Danni smiled. "How much did I freak them out?"

"They are worried," Rusty smiled. "I forced them to go eat but I don't think they will be much longer. You have a tray on your fridge, I could bring you some dinner."

"I would love that," Danni yawned. "I'm too comfortable to move; my body aches from being on the go so much."

"Why did you do so much to help me with Sharon?" Rusty asked; the question had been eating at him since Sharon got sick. "You really did more than I imagined could be done."

"You're my friend, Rusty; I wanted to help you. You love Sharon; it's amazing to watch the bond between the two of you. If she's important to you; she's important to me. We're a family; we take care of our own."

"Like helping you get ready for the baby?" Rusty responded softly; his eyes dancing over her baby bump.

Placing his hand on her belly, Danni smiled. "Just like helping me get ready for the baby. What do you say we sneak down and look at the baby's room while Andy and Sharon eat."

"You need food," Rusty replied soft as he moved the covers back and steadied his friend when she stood. Moving Danni to the door, Rusty steered her to the table and sat her right beside Sharon.

"Hey you," Sharon took her hand. "You okay?"

"I'm sorry about that," embarrassment crept into the young woman's eyes.

"You have been through a lot," Sharon rubbed her thumb over Danni's hand. "Don't apologize for finally relaxing a little and allowing yourself to feel. You're not alone, kiddo. After all that you've done for me and for Rusty; let us help you."

"You have more than you realize," Danni's eyes filled with tears.

"Don't get her crying," Rusty scolded. "She needs to eat; the baby needs fed. I have strict orders from Debbie; she's the obstetrician, that we are to feed her this weekend."

"You conspired with my doctor?" Danielle laughed.

"Sorta," Rusty shrugged with a coy smile.

"Speaking of doctors, your migraine meds and syringes are in my bag. Don't let me forget to give those to you. Also, Captain Raydor, I am going to run a bag of IV fluids into you this evening so that your body has something to work with. Lieutenant Flynn, you're fine your meds are working so no worries for you, my friend." Danielle watched with amusement as Sharon's face took on an amused look.

"You cannot control the doctor in you can you?" Sharon teased.

"Nope, she's pretty much in total control; can't help it. Finish eating; I want that foot up soon with some ice on it. Rusty, you and I are going cook the next four days and if you want I will let you take my recipe book down to my office and run copies."

"I want," Rusty's face lit up. "Will you teach me how to make that gravy for the chicken fried steak?"

"I will," Danni laughed as she worked at finishing her dinner. "What do you three say to a nice relaxing evening with a movie before everyone starts slaving tomorrow?"

"Will you show us the baby's room?" Rusty knew Danni was itching to get in there and organize; he had stopped her long enough to eat.

Danielle made her way to her bedroom to change out of her scrubs and into something warmer. Sharon met her just outside her bathroom door with a look so caring and tender that it tore at Danni's heart.

"I talked the guys into this being some girl time," Sharon took Danni's arm and allowed her to take the lead down to the nursery. As soon as the door opened, Sharon could see why it was the one room that Danni picked and seemed to love. "This room is huge; I love the window seat. Honey, this is so beautiful for a baby."

"When we bought this house," Danni smiled with tear filled eyes. "Matt picked it because he said this room would someday hold our beautiful babies."

"Can you tell me about him?" Sharon guided Danni over to the window seat. "What was he like?"

"He was nothing like you'd expect a police officer to be," Danni giggled. "He was a pushover; loving, kind and generous. His heart was pure gold; I swear. When he looked at me, I felt like there was no one else on the planet that the only one that existed was us."

"Did he know about the baby?" Sharon pushed gently.

"He went with me to see Debbie," the tears streamed down the young woman's face. "When she confirmed we were pregnant; he sobbed. There were three things in his world that he desired to be a good husband, a good father and a good police officer. He died doing all three."

"I don't understand," Sharon gave Danni a perplexed look. "I was told he died saving a child in the ER where you worked."

"He had brought in a young boy that had been abandoned by his parents. Protocol stated that he had to wait in the ER for family services, Matt would have stayed anyway. The father of the child came looking for the little boy; he had a gun. Matt jumped between the father and the child and was shot in the stomach. The man with the gun turned the gun on me; pointed it right at my head. Matt pushed me down as the gun fired; he caught the bullet in the chest; he bled out in my arms."

"He died protecting you, his baby and the little boy." Sharon wiped at the tears that trailed down her face. What happened to the man with the gun?"

"I don't know," Danni sighed as she wiped at the tears. "We need to get you off your ankle."

"You don't have to go through all of this alone," Sharon said softly as she took Danni's arm and leaned on her gently to give the young woman some stability.


	10. Chapter 10

Andy watched as Sharon wrapped her arms around Danni and just held the young woman. The scene was emotional for the women and it really tugged at Andy's heart; Matt had been his best friend's son and the loss almost broke him; as he loved the young man as his own.

"Are they okay?" Rusty whispered as he watched Sharon reach over and gently wiped one of Danni's tears.

"Yeah," Andy nodded with a whisper. "Sharon's great at nurturing; she's just what Danielle needs right now. It's hard for Danni to trust; her story is a lot like yours. Drug addict mother, dead beat dad; she lived in foster care from ages four until she turned eighteen."

"I'm going to go clean up the kitchen to give them some more time." Rusty headed down the hallway with Flynn following close behind. Rusty worked at scrubbing the kitchen down; he needed to work off his emotions so that he could be supportive.

Rusty and Andy gave a sympathetic looks at the tear stained faces of the ladies when they returned to the kitchen. Pouring Sharon a glass of juice, Rusty handed it to his guardian with a lingering hand on her arm to give her some extra strength.

"Danni?" Rusty watched as Sharon eased herself down in the chair, the fatigue settling in. "You okay?"

"I will be," Danni sighed. "I need to get an IV started on Sharon soon so I've got to pull it together."

"Do you have to do another IV? Can't she just drink more?" Rusty questioned listening as Sharon groaned.

Danni smiled. "She needs the extra boost from the IV; I don't want her to stop eating because we're filling her so full of fluid."

"Oh," Rusty sighed before moving to the bag with the movies in it. "I'm going to go shower and get into my sleep clothes before the movie."

"Everything you need is in the closet behind the bathroom door," Danni called after her young friend.

"I'm going to get the IV started; it will run while you are sleeping. I'll be in and out to check on you and I'll disconnect the line when it's done. I won't take the port out until I see how you're doing in the morning."

"Okay," Sharon yawned which turned into a shiver.

"Why don't I get you tucked in while Andy and Rusty watch a movie? Andy, if you're staying the living room couch pulls out into a pretty comfy bed. I will get you sheets, pillows and blankets after I get Sharon settled." Danielle eased Sharon to her feet, hugged the woman then led her down the hallway.

"You aren't getting any rest with us here," Sharon sighed as she sank down on the bed with a groan.

"Actually, I am." Danni laughed. "This is the first time that I have been home before 1 a.m. in a month. Let me get Andy some bedding and pillows, grab my bag then I'm going to check you over and get that IV going. You feel a little warm to me."

"I'm fine, honey." Sharon tried to reassure. "You should get some rest; you looked ready to fall over."

"I won't sleep unless I know that you're okay," Danni placed the back of her hand to Sharon's forehead a second time causing Sharon to shiver a the tenderness this young woman was showing her. "Humor me."

"Okay," Sharon nodded and allowed her eyes to slip closed; her breathing evening out as Danni set off to get the guys settled.

Much to the young doctor's credit, she was able to do everything except take Sharon's blood pressure and temperature without waking her. "Honey, I need some vitals and start the IV then you can go back to sleep. I'll be as quick as I can."

Sharon trusted Danni and only woke up enough to cooperate. "What's the verdict?" Sharon's voice was thick with sleep

"You're exhausted," Danni confirmed as she eased the IV port into the back of Sharon's hand. "Sleep sweetheart; you'll feel better in the morning. Your phone is by the bed; my number is programmed into it. If you need up, call me and I will come help you so you don't hurt your ankle."

Nodding, Sharon fell asleep before Danni could prop her ankle up and cover her with the quilt. Turning on a dim lamp on the dresser, the young woman eased the door partially closed leaving it open just enough to listen for her friend.

"Come here," Andy met his friend in the hallway. "Watch a movie with us; let us baby you for a while." Danni allowed Andy to tuck her into the recliner, cover her with warm blanket before taking a seat beside her to rub her aching feet.

"Don't ever stop that," Danni groaned. "They hurt so much. Oh gosh that feels soooo good."

"Does the baby move a lot?" Rusty sat on the arm of the recliner and watched as Danni rubbed her pregnancy swollen belly.

"Yes," Danni laughed. "I think this little one likes you guys though; lots more activity with your voices; seems to settle down with Sharon's voice though; like she soothes the baby. Are you two going to be comfortable on the couches?"

"They are very comfortable," Rusty nodded. "Honestly; really comfortable."

"Okay," Danni scooted over to make room before pulling Rusty off the arm of the chair to sit with her. "How's your head? Fever stayed gone; which is good."

"Hasn't hurt since you gave me that medicine," Rusty sighed as he scooted over to give Danni more room.

"You're fine," Danni laughed. "You can get up if you're afraid of squishing me and the baby."

"Sorry," Rusty laughed. "Not been around any pregnant women before you. Andy said you were a foster kid too?"

"I was," Danielle smiled. "My mother died of a drug overdose when I was four and my father died in prison for raping and killing a young woman."

"I am so sorry," Rusty's breath caught in his throat. "You did something good with your life. Do you think that…."

"Do I think that you can do something with yours?" Danni turned Rusty's face towards her. "You are destined for greatness, sweetheart. You are smart, loving and kind. The things you've gone through in your life have defined you but that isn't bad that just means you are a stronger person for having gone through them. You have Sharon; she loves you as if she had given birth to you. The whole squad loves you; you're the kid brother or nephew to them. I love you; you're a very good friend."

Rusty paused and allowed the words to sink in. Turning to thank his friend, he was taken aback by her appearance. "You look exhausted," Rusty said softly.

"I am," Danni yawned as she spoke. "I don't want Andy to stop rubbing my feet though; so I'll endure a little while longer."

"You know," Andy laughed. "I can hear you."

"I know, I am your doctor. Remember? I have had your hearing tested." The giggles from the young woman got Rusty and Flynn laughing. "Seriously, you two enjoy the movies. Help yourself to whatever. I have microwave popcorn if you want it. Just don't touch my apples and we're all good. Don't know why but I crave apples all the time."

Danni was sound asleep by the time Flynn and Rusty called it quits on the movie. Quietly, the two men made their rounds to lock up the house and check on the ladies. Fixing the quilt to cover Sharon up to her shoulders, Rusty placed a gentle hand on Sharon's forehead to feel for fever; relieved to find her cool to the touch.

"She's good," Rusty motioned for the door so they could check on Danni. The young woman was on her side curled up shivering slightly. Pulling the covers up and tucking them around her, Andy watched and waited until he was sure she was warm enough.

"Andy?" Danni's groggy voice broke the silence.

"Yeah kid," Andy reply soft as he took a seat beside her. "You were shivering. Do you need another blanket?"

"No," Danni shook her head. "Sometimes, I kick them off; not sure why."

"Go back to sleep; you're all warmed up again." Andy rubbed a soothing hand up and down the young woman's arm. "We tucked the blankets around Sharon; her fever is gone. IV still in her hand and the bag is over half full."

"Good," Danni mumbled as her eyes drifted shut, her breathing evening out as she fell into a deep sleep.

Sharon woke slowly; her eyes blinking as she tried to figure out what woke her. She was comfortable and if she was being honest with herself she felt the best she had in a few weeks thanks the Danielle's TLC and skill.

"She's crying," Sharon whispered as she eased off the bed to stand finding her ankle was feeling a great deal better. The IV had her tethered, taking a moment she unhooked the line; smiling to herself that she had actually paid attention on how the tubing connected. Sharon assured the bag was empty before moving quietly through the house.

"Danni?" Sharon's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the bedroom. Looking around, she didn't see her young friend just an empty bed. Whimpers so soft that they were barely heard caught Sharon's attention as she made her way to the closet and eased the door open.

"I can't smell him on this anymore," Danni held a well-worn jacket that obviously had been her husbands out to Sharon. Taking the coat, Sharon hugged it close as she fought the tears. Wrapping the coat around the young woman, Sharon sat down next to her and pulled her to her chest.

"Close your eyes and feel the warmth, honey. His arms used to occupy those sleeves, you're practically touching him. Can you feel him holding you?" Swiping at the tears as they fell, Sharon rocked the young woman gently. "You have a part of him growing right under the heart that he fell in love with; a piece of his heart beats beneath your own."

"I can't feel the baby move," Danni whispered. "It's been hours since the baby moved."

"Oh honey," Sharon kissed the top the head that was resting on her chest. "Let's get you off this floor and into bed."

"She okay?" Andy whispered from the closet door. "Baby okay?"

"Help me get her up," Sharon whispered as they eased Danni off the floor. "Go get a glass of ice water."

"Ice water?" Andy was curious.

"When I was pregnant with my son they had me drink ice water when he stopped moving." Sharon stated flatly as she tucked Danni in and eased her onto her left side. "Give that baby some air, honey. Stretch out a bit for me."

"I let my husband die in my arms then I killed his baby," Danni's voice was distant and cold. "I should have been able to save him; he died right in my arms. For the love of God, I am a doctor and he needed me. Have you ever had someone die in your arms? There was so much blood; sometimes I can still feel it on my skin… warm and sticky and so red."

"Here," Andy whispered as he handed Sharon the glass of water. "She doesn't panic like this but she looks so lost. What set this off, Sharon?"

"Nightmares," Sharon said softly. "She's been having nightmares."

Making a fist, the young woman raised her hand to punch her stomach. Shoving the water at Andy, Sharon caught the fist before it could make contact. "Don't do that, honey. Don't do that. Your baby was moving all over the place a little while ago. Let's see if the water does anything."

"Sharon?" Andy's voice shook in fear.

"She's grieving, Andy. Let her grieve; she has to get it out before it kills her." Easing Danni onto her back, Sharon unbuttoned just enough buttons on the woman's PJ top to reveal the skin of her belly. Taking the glass of ice water, Sharon placed the side right against the young woman's stomach hoping to jolt the baby before moving it to her lips. "Drink this," Sharon held the glass to Danni's lips while Andy held her up. "Come on all of it, honey. You need to keep drinking. Do it for me, Danni."

Andy eased the young woman back down onto the pillows as soon as the water glass was empty. Startled by the sobs, he looked to Sharon for answers.

Placing a gentle hand on Danni's belly, Sharon's face lit up with a smile. "Hi there little one; you scared your mommy."

Andy kissed the side of Danni's head before standing to leave. "I'm down the hallway if you need help."

"Do you feel your baby, Danni? That little one is just fine in there. That's the product of the love that you and your husband shared. He gave you a beautiful gift; you are going to be a fantastic mother." Sharon's hand continued to rest on the swollen belly of her friend.

"Thank you," Danni whispered as she wiped at her tears. The young woman drifted to sleep only to surface to the feeling of a warm wash cloth and a gentle touch wiping away her tears.

"You okay now?" Sharon questioned softly.

"I'm sorry," Danni's breath caught in her throat. "You need rest."

"I'm fine," Sharon reassured with a smile as Danni's hand came to rest on her forehead. "Cool as a cucumber, I am feeling much better. What are your nightmares about?"

The young woman sighed. "He dies in my arms every time I fall asleep."

"Move over a little," Sharon smiled. "I'll wake you if you start to dream; you need some sleep."

Danni slid over a bit, the surprise written all over her face that tough as nails Captain Sharon Raydor was a cuddler. Giggles escaped and she couldn't' help herself. "You shoot at people by day and cuddle with pregnant women in your spare time?"

"I do," Sharon snickered. "Especially when that pregnant woman is a very good friend of mine. I haven't cuddled like this since my daughter came to visit; it's nice."

Sharon's protective mother side showed in the way she folded the young woman to her and gently rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Each time Danni stirred, the sensation of Sharon rubbing gentle circles on her back lulled her back to sleep.

"How is she?" Andy whispered when he brought Sharon a cup of coffee several hours later.

"Better," the smile was genuine. "You fill Rusty in?"

"He was listening last night," Andy confessed. "Tore him up a bit; we talked it out. Her surprise is shaping up nicely, Rusty and the guys are overseeing that. Think she's ready to get up?"

"What surprise?" Danni whispered as she opened her eyes.

"You'll see," Sharon teased. "Let's get you dressed and for that matter me too. We need to get the men working while we have a bit of fun."

"Let me splash some water on my face then I'll check you over and get that IV port out of the back of your hand if you don't need another bag of fluids."

Pulling on a sun dress, Danni pulled her hair up into a ponytail and made her way to Sharon's room. "Let's see how you are doing." Her exam was even gentler before and Sharon felt totally bonded to this young woman. "You're doing excellent. IV can come out but you still need to keep up the fluid intake. We'll just work on more creative ways besides me always shoving a glass of something at you."

Walking Sharon to the kitchen mindful of her sore ankle, Danni was met by the faces of Sharon's team.

"Breakfast is out on the back porch," Rusty smiled. "We're going to go move the furniture out of the room and get the first coat of paint down."

"I really cannot thank you all enough," Danni's eyes filled with tears.

Provenza stepped up and kissed the young woman's cheek. "You just let us all spoil that baby of yours and we'll call it square."

"Come on," Sharon pointed to the door to the porch. "I'm starving."

Ushering the mommy to be outside, Sharon's eyes filled with tears at the generosity of not only the clinic staff but her own team; the porch was filled with gifts.

"What in the world?" Danni whispered as she stumbled to the porch swing. "Sharon?"

"All of us," Sharon smiled. "We wanted to do something special for you. You've touched all our lives in a way that some of us cannot even find the words to explain. This baby is a gift but not just to you; to all of us. You need to feed that little one; let's eat."

Danni attacked her breakfast as her eyes wandered around the piles of gifts. "Do you think the guys would want to come out and see?"

"I actually think they would love that." Sharon smiled as she picked up her phone and texted her son. "Sorry, I'm starving Rusty has the phone attached to his hand he'll get them out here."

Both women laughed when the sound of footsteps could be heard coming through the house. "Sounds like they were waiting for that."

Sharon gave Rusty the job of writing the gift on the back of the card so Danni could work on thank you notes later. One by one, the gifts were open and much to her delight, Sharon got to easily fall into a mothering role as Danni needed something.

"I can't believe you guys," the young woman was sobbing by the time she got to her last gift. "You managed to cover everything this little one needs for a wonderful start to this world."

"We'll carry the big things inside," Buzz whispered through emotions. "I'll put them together for you so you don't have to worry."

"We saved a few presents for when it's just the three of us," Sharon explained.

Sharon and Danni spent hours clipping tags of clothing, washing and folding them so they were ready to go into the dresser drawers when the room was complete. They talked about the best place in the kitchen to store the highchair and Sharon was making mental note of a few things she would like to have at the condo in hopes of having a frequent visitor.

"Danni?" Rusty came out to the porch holding his stomach.

Jumping up, the doctor in her took over and she placed a hand to his forehead. "You're not warm."

"I'm starving," Rusty groaned.

"Oh," the laugh was infectious. "How about I call for pizza delivery since I cannot get into my kitchen yet to cook for you guy?"

"Sounds great," Rusty sighed. "It's not smelling that bad in there anymore but probably shouldn't risk it with the baby."

The team sat on the porch with pizza and pop having a great time laughing and telling various stories from childhood and their child rearing day. "Guys," Danni's back was hurting, her legs were going numb and she really needed to use the bathroom. "Can I get back into my house now?"

"We opened windows," Andy nodded. "See what you think."

Danni disappeared and it was Sharon that went looking for her; concerned that she may not be faring well in the house with the fumes. Smiling as she approached the baby's room, she could see the young woman with her hand protectively on her belly taking in the beauty of the room. "Come look," Danni reached a hand out to Sharon.

"It's beautiful," Sharon loved the colors and the theme; the whole layout was tranquil. "You've had a big day; how about a nap?"

"Are you turning the tables on me, Captain?" Danielle laughed.

"Actually, I learned a few things from you and the dark circles under your eyes and the slight fever you're running tell me that you need a nap." Sharon watched the amused look on the face of her friend. "So what do you say? Nap or I call in the reinforcements?"

"Nap," Danni laughed as she turned off and climbed up on the bed. The groan of satisfaction came as Sharon pulled the covers up to her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.

The team managed to put all the furniture into the room, get the gifts assembled and load the dressers and closet before Danielle surfaced from her nap. Rusty and Andy were in the kitchen working on dinner when the pregnant little lady joined them.

"Need some help?" Danni folded into Andy's side in a half hug. "You make the best garlic butter this side of LA; think you could whip that up and get that bread in to toast."

"Only if everyone closes their eyes, it's a secret recipe." Danni teased. "Where is Sharon?"

"She is outside on the phone," Rusty sighed.

Danni walked outside to find Sharon pacing while talking to someone; the look on her face broke Danni's heart into pieces.

"Rusty?" Danni made her way back to the kitchen. "Who is Jack?"

"Oh God," Rusty groaned. "Is that who is on the phone? He's her husband but he hasn't lived with her in twenty years. He's mentally abusive and just a complete asshole.'

"Got it," Danni sighed. "Can you slow dinner down a bit? Let me calm her down so she will eat something."

"Good-bye Jack," Sharon shouted into the phone before she threw it.

Picking up the phone, Danni switched it off before placing it in her pocket. Her friend was upset and shaking; needing something but figuring out what was going to be the sketchy part. "Come here," Danni said softly as she wrapped an arm around Sharon's trembling body.

The porch swing was calming; Danni sat quietly holding Sharon's hand while swinging gently allowing the strong woman time to calm down. "Rusty says he's a complete asshole."

"He is," Sharon agreed. "I don't know why I let him get to me."

"Because he's the father of your children and on some level you love him for that." Danni placed Sharon's hand on her belly; she hoped the baby's movements would calm her friend. "You said it to be before; there is nothing like being a mother; he gave you that. You don't have to give any more of yourself to him though. Maybe your heart is breaking a bit because you know that it is time to let him go. It's time, Sharon. Just talking to him leaves you emotionally raw; I cannot imagine what happens when he's face to face with you. It's time, sweetheart."

"It's overdue," Sharon sighed. "It's just hard to do."

"Distance makes you forget?" Danni ventured.

"Until the moment he opens his mouth and it's like ripping a Band-Aid off a fresh wound; it hurts."

"That's not a wound that I cannot give you medicine to heal," Danni pulled Sharon into a hug. "However, I can be your friend and support you so you can heal. You work, eat, sleep, repeat. It's time for Sharon Raydor to start living her life; it's time that you had something besides your job and career."

"I have Rusty," Sharon smiled. "He makes it worth coming home to."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Sharon's head leaning on Danni's shoulder; a hand on her friend's belly feeling the baby moves. "You think you can eat something?" Danni's words were soft as she kissed the top of her head. "Dinner was almost done when I came out here."

"I can," Sharon whispered. "Thank you for this; it's nice to have someone to talk to."

"The world gets heavy when you have to carry it alone." Danni stood slowly; the world tipped causing her to grab onto Sharon.

"Whoa, close your eyes and breathe. Give it a few minutes; we are in no hurry." Sharon rubbed Danni's back. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," the answer came out on a panted breath. "Sharon."

"Right here," the gentle voice soothed Danni as she was eased back onto the swing. "Your doctor told Rusty you have dizzy spells."

"This is a role reversal," Danni joked. "I have low blood pressure problems."

"Andy," Sharon yelled for her friend. "Bring me a glass of juice, please."

"Thank you," Danni groaned as she closed her eyes and just concentrated on breathing.

"Lucky for you, I learned from the best on how to handle this situation." Sharon took the juice from Andy and held it to Danni's lips.

Before she had a chance to protest, the guys had managed to get her to the table and shove a plate of food in front of her. Sharon sat at her side watching her closely in case she needed help.

Andy left for home after they ate and Danielle suffocated him with hugs of gratitude. Smiling as he went, the older man was so pleased that he had a hand in bringing these people together.

"We have a couple more presents for you," Sharon said softly as she guided Danielle to the couch.

"You've done so much," Danni shook her head to fight the emotions. "I don't know what to say."

The gifts were overwhelming for Danni mostly because Rusty had remembered her love for Winnie the Pooh and her desire to do a nursery themed as such. They had managed to purchase every plush toy, every book, movie and clothing to keep with the theme.

"This is my gift to you," Sharon handed over a small box to Danni. A sob escaped from the young woman as she opened the box to find a locket that already had a picture of her husband on the inside. "You can have the people you love close to your heart now."


	11. Chapter 11

Sharon woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped as she watched Rusty walk past the bedroom door sniffing deeply as he went.

"What are you cooking?" Rusty groaned. "You're killing me.

"Good thing that I am a really good doctor then," Danni giggles as she dishes out breakfast. "Go wake Sharon up; I want her to get a good meal in; she didn't eat much last night."

"I'm awake," Sharon came into the kitchen tying her robe around her. "That smells great."

"Eat and get dressed; we're going to do something fun today. Wear jeans, T-shirt and walking shoes." Danni watched as her two friends exchange looks.

The doctor in her could not resist the urge to pack a small cooler and a modified version of her medical bag. With the car loaded, Danni got in and made her way towards their destination. The young doctor watched Rusty's face carefully as she pulled up to the zoo's parking lot.

"You stay with Sharon, I need to find Frank." Danni watched the emotions flash through Rusty's eyes.

"I'm right here, little lady." Frank came driving up I cart with canopy to it. Rusty helped Danni load her bags onto the floor before helping Sharon from the car to the cart. "You are on lucky fella, two beautiful ladies all to yourself."

"He's such a flirt," Danni smiled. "You two ready?" Handing Rusty her camera, Danni sat next to Sharon and gently rubbed her back watching as the emotions flowed through her. Leaning over to her friend, Danni whispered softly into her ear. "Sometimes you have to drive out the bad memories with good ones; he's going to be okay."

"Thank you," Sharon gave a tear filled smile. "Thank you for this."

"It's my pleasure," Danni hugged Sharon tight allowing her a moment to compose herself.

"How many pictures does your camera hold?" Rusty questioned as he started snapping.

"I think two thousand on that card but there is an extra card and batteries in one of the bags so snap away." Danni laughed as Rusty hopped off the cart and started taking more pictures. "Are you comfortable?"

"I am," Sharon smiled as she watched Rusty with the camera. "He loves that camera."

"He does," Danni smiled.

"You didn't." Sharon shook her head laughing. "What occasion are you claiming it's for?"

"Graduation," Danni snickered. "He's finishing top 20% of his class; how can I not be proud of that as his boss and friend."

"You are something else," Sharon smiled.

"Thank you," Danni's face was mischievous and full of life and it made Sharon's heart full to see the young woman happy amid a life of sadness. "Would you like to walk a little? We'll take it slow; I don't want to push that ankle of yours too far."

"I would love to," Sharon nodded.

"Allow a gentleman to help the ladies down," Frank eased Danni and Sharon both to the ground; kissing Sharon's cheek as he helped her settle on her feet. "I will be close if you need to sit."

"Why'd you pick the zoo?" Rusty questioned as they eased Sharon onto a bench to rest.

"Because I wanted you to replace bad memories with good ones," Danni said softly as she picked up Sharon's wrist to measure her pulse. "Life is what you make of it and a bad situation is a learning experience depending on what you take from it."

"Like learning not to trust my mother?" Rusty sighed.

"I'm going to get you some water, honey." Danni grabbed a bottle of water from the insulated bag and handed it to Sharon. "No, like learning what it is to have people that really do care about you, Rusty. If you had not been abandoned in this very zoo, this would never have happened. I wouldn't know you or Sharon. My life would be minus two amazing people that I have come to love."

"Is she okay?" Rusty pointed to his very quiet guardian.

"I'm fine," Sharon gave a teary smile. "I was just thinking how much different life has been with you in it. I'm glad that I have you, Rusty."

"Me too," Rusty smiled. "You want me to take a picture of you with Danni?"

"I would love that," Sharon pulled the young woman closer and the two of them laughed at Rusty's antics while he was snapping away.

"Why don't you see if Frank will take your camera and take a picture of all of us then I will get a few of you with Sharon." Danni watched to see if her words sank in.

"My camera?" Rusty's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Really," Danni was barely able to brace herself before Rusty was hugging her.

"Thank you so much." Rusty was vibrating with joy.

"It's my gift to you for graduation; I figured you'd like it ahead of time for pictures and things." Danni's eyes danced as she watched the young man try to control his emotions.

The zoo adventure was exhausting and by the time the trio returned home they were worn out but happy.

"It's still early," Danni commented with a yawn. "What do you say to Chinese food, ice cream and a movie in my room where we can comfortably stretch out?"

"Sounds heavenly," Sharon smiled. "After showers, we're all sweaty."

"You two go take showers, I will take care of the food." Danni turned towards the counter only to grab her stomach and gasp in pain.

"What?" Rusty was at her side immediately. "Is it the baby?"

"Contraction," Danni gasped.

"What do we do?" Rusty started to panic.

"Braxton Hicks," Danni closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to relax.

"Okay, it says here that she should take a warm bath, drink more water, change positions, deep breaths, walk, drink warm fluids, relax, or eat a meal or snack." Rusty rattled off the information on her phone screen.

"Rusty, you call in the dinner order the menu is right there on the counter. Sweetheart, you're coming with me. Let's get you cleaned up and into bed." Sharon guided Danni down the hallway and into the shower where the young woman washed away the day trying her best to relax. As soon as she got out, Sharon was ready with PJs ready to lead her to the bed.

"Oh," Danni stopped mid step. "Now I know why they call it practice labor."

Sharon rubbed Danni's back waiting for the contraction to subside before walking her to the bed. "Better?"

"My feet thank you," Danni giggled. "I forgot how much walking there was at the zoo. I should have walked less and rode more."

"Try to relax; take some deep breaths. Listen to me, little one; as much as we want to meet you it's too soon. You need to do some more growing before you come into this world." Sharon placed a gentle hand on Danni's belly and rubbed soothing circles.

"I'm going to fall asleep if you keep that up," Danni yawned.

"I will wake you when the food gets here; sleep means you are relaxed."

"Food is called in," Rusty whispered quietly as he eased into the room. "Is she okay?"

"I'm okay," Danni mumbled. "Sharon's putting me to sleep. Wake me for food," Danni's voice trailed off as she fell asleep.

"You're really good at that," Rusty smiled. "What's it feel like?"

"A contraction? Take the worst stomach cramp you've had when sick and multiply it by fifty."

"Ouch, that sounds like it really hurts." Rusty commented softly.

"You forget the pain as soon as you hold that baby in your arms," Sharon smiled as she pulled the blankets of Danni. "It's all worth it."

"I think we should go watch for the food so he doesn't wake her up with the doorbell." Rusty moved quickly out of the room; his typical gait when he was nervous.

"I wonder if my mom cared about me as much as Danni cares about her baby?" Rusty sighed. "She's always rubbing her belly, talking to the baby and sometimes she sings to it."

"I wish I knew," Sharon placed a gentle hand on his back. "Sometimes, I wish you were small enough that I could cuddle you and make all the pains in your world go away. If I had gotten you when you were younger," Sharon sighs. "Your world; your life would be different."

"Sometimes, I dream that you've been my mom forever," Rusty said softly and it's the sob that escaped Sharon that startled him.

"Oh honey," pulling him into a hug; the older woman tried to get as close as possible to take his pains away. "I wish I had been too."

Rusty soaked up the love; it had taken him some time to get used to it but now he enjoyed her hugs; felt safe in them. "Sharon? Are you okay?"

"I am," the woman in his arms sniffled. "I think being here with Danni and helping her get ready for the baby has brought up a lot of memories for both of us."

"Why did she take us to the zoo today?" Rusty was still confused about the day although he had really enjoyed himself.

"For you," Sharon caressed his face gently. "She wanted you to replace a bad memory with a new, good memory. How did we do?"

"Good," Rusty smiled. "Did you see the camera that she gave me? The world looks different through it."

"Maybe you'll do something with photography?" Sharon prodded a bit; she wanted Rusty to know that whatever his choice for the future, he had her support.

"Maybe," Rusty smiled. "Food's here." Opening the door, Rusty paid for the food much to Sharon's surprise and made his way to the kitchen to find the bed trays that he had seen on top of the fridge.

Sharon grabbed one of the movies as Rusty carried the food down to the bedroom. Popping in the DVD, Sharon made her way to gently wake Danni up.

"Foods here," Sharon called softly as she pushed the hair back from Danni's eyes. "Think you can eat?"

"Yeah," Pushing herself up on the bed, Danni smiled as Rusty placed her tray in her lap and waited for Sharon to climb onto the bed next to Danni to place hers. The evening was relaxing filled with movies, stories, and laughter. By the time it was time to go to sleep, Danni managed to con the duo into another movie which lulled them both to sleep. "Perfect," Danni smiled knowing it would be easier to watch over the duo having them that close.

Morning brought possibilities of new things for the trio, it was Rusty that spoke up and set the tone for the day. "I noticed you have an awesome board game collection; can we play?"

"We can," Danni's eyes filled with tears. "My husband loved them; they are his."

"We don't…." Rusty started to speak only to have Danni place a gentle finger on his lips.

"Don't finish that thought," Danni smiled. "I want to. Why don't we call Andy and Lt. Provenza to join us if Sharon is okay with it?"

"That's fine with me," Sharon smiled. "Lt. Provenza may stop growling at me if I let him win a game or two."

"Don't you dare," Danni giggled. "I'm all for girls against the guys."

Andy and Provenza were more than delighted to join Danni and the Raydor family. The day was light and fun; the men totally enjoying the company of the ladies and was even graceful losers as Sharon and Danni cleaned their clock on every game they played.

"Okay," Danni stood and stretched. "It's lunch time. I need someone to man the grill while I work on the salad and fruit salad."

"I will," Andy smiled.

"Let me get the burgers made up," Danni was caught off guard when Andy pulled her off her feet and carried her to the recliner.

"Sit," Andy winked. "Heard you had a rough evening yesterday; you have four other people in this house capable of helping out." Handing her the remote control to the TV, Andy left to go make up the burgers while Sharon and Rusty worked on the fruit and the salad.

"She looks so peaceful," Provenza commented when he walked into the living room to find Danni asleep.

"She does," Sharon smiled.

"Captain," Provenza put a gentle hand on her back an guided her to a chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Sharon sighed. "Danni and Rusty have taken wonderful care of me. Hopefully, she clears me on Monday and I can be back at work."

"You don't have to prove yourself to me," Provenza grumbled. "I know you're a damn fine investigator; I still don't like that you're in charge but I don't mind it so much anymore."

"Is that an apology?" Sharon teased.

"Perhaps I was a little out of line in the beginning," Louie shrugged. "We've grown as a team since then."

"We're a family," Andy commented as he walked into the living room. Extending his hand to Sharon, he helped her to her feet. "Time to wake up the kid; she needs to eat."

"I'm awake; didn't want to interrupt the hallmark moment." Danni laughed as Andy helped her up.

"You seem to be doing better," the comment was soft. "Helps to not make the house a museum doesn't it?"

"It does," Danni smiled. "I hope we have many more game days and movie nights here. It's nice to not be alone."

Sunday afternoon came and Danni dropped her two friends off at their home before returning to hers for the evening. Walking around, she couldn't help by smile at the memories the last few days had held; her husband would have loved Sharon and Rusty would have been his project; a project of love.

"It's quiet here," Rusty laughed as the duo sat down to dinner.

"We are too quiet," Sharon sighed. "It was a nice few days; I really enjoyed myself."

"We could store one of those portable cribs in the laundry room and set it up right over there when the baby is here." Rusty was thinking out loud causing Sharon to smile.

"I was thinking the same thing," Sharon laughed. "Do you think she'd come with the baby?"

"It won't take much for her to come over," Rusty laughed. "She is a good friend and good friends visit."

"Are you like feeling better?" Rusty was still worried and on edge; he never wanted to see Sharon sick like that again.

"I am," Sharon nodded. "I promise to not allow myself to get that run down again; I can't because I have you."

Rusty smiled slightly as a warm feeling reached him as far as his toes. He finally had a family to which he belonged.

Monday morning brought a mix of emotions, Rusty had to go back to school after his short break that allowed him to take care of Sharon; Sharon was due at the clinic for her check up to see if Danielle was going to release her back to work.

"Good Morning," Danni greeted her patient as she walked into the room; the mix of emotions on Sharon's face concerned her.

"Would you like me to have one of the other doctors or nurse practitioners take your case?" Danni was gentle with her questioning but it still seemed to send a surge of panic through Sharon as she shook her head.

"No," Sharon sighed. "Sorry, a lot rides on today. I've never allowed myself to get to that point before."

"It scared you?" Danni questioned softly. Nodding, Sharon took a deep breath and steeled herself ready to continue. "Okay, let me draw some blood and I'll walk it to the lab while you get changed."

Danni examine was thorough yet gentle leaving Sharon wondering what exactly the young woman's decision on her career was going to be.

"Get dressed," Danni said softly. "I will be right back." Danni came back with papers in her hand and a smile on her face. "Captain Raydor, you have improved tremendously in the last week. All your blood work is back to normal but your body is still struggling a little bit. This week, I am going to release you to desk duty of four hours a day. You're going to come back on Monday and we'll see about getting you back on a full schedule. When you're not at work, I want you resting. Also, I want you out of the heels for two weeks and in running shoes to give that ankle some time to heal. We're going to give you an ankle support to give it a helping hand. Even after it heals, I would suggest keeping it around if you are going out on a case that would result in your running; it should go on just as your vest goes on."

"I will walk over with you and give the chief the paperwork so you can get back to business. Remember what I said four hours, I will call over and check."

"I promise," Sharon smiled and let out a breath she'd been holding. "Thank you."

The team greeted their Captain with relieved smiles. Watching as the doctor walked her as far as her office before turning and heading in the direction of the chief.

"I am only here four hours a day this week," Sharon sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," Provenza was the first to comment. "We'll take four hours."

Nodding with an appreciative smile, Sharon turned to the team. "Do we have a case?"

"No," Tao answered. "We're doing cold cases."

"Good," Sharon turned to Andy. "Find me everything you can on Alvin Walker. Lt. Tao, I want you on that too. Lt. Provenza, Lt. Sanchez, I want you to look through Detective Matthew Martin's cases see if you can find any link to Alvin Walker. Buzz, I need you in my office for a moment and Detective Sykes, you will help where they need you to help."

"What is she doing?" Sykes looked at the team as the door to the captain's office closed.

"She's going to solve the murder of Danni's husband," Flynn smiled. "About time someone tried to find this bastard."

"Captain?" Buzz watched as Sharon sank into her chair. "You okay?"

"I am," Sharon smiled. "I didn't tell her I was looking into this; we need to keep this between us. I will trust you to spread the word on that. I also need you to find me the video from the hospital that shows the shooting."

"Yes ma'am." Buzz looked concerned and his instincts were telling him to let the team know.

"She what?" Flynn questioned softly.

"Don't tell her I told you," Buzz growled. "I just don't think we should leave her alone to view it; she's gotten very close to the doctor. We all have."

"Perhaps this is too personal for all of you," Sykes interrupted.

"Sit down," Provenza spat. "And shut up Sykes. If you won't do this for the Captain then do it for that woman whose baby will never know its father."

A/N: Now my question to those that are telling me how much they love this story do I keep it going long enough for Danni to give birth or end it with the resolution of the case?


	12. Chapter 12

Special Thank you to: Fairytales1981 for helping me get unstuck earlier today! You are awesome. Thanks to Liz1967, Fairytales and Creolegurl for the TLC this week after I fell really ill and ended up in the ER. You're amazing.

The team used Sharon's four hours to work hard at finding everything they could on Alvin Walker. Thirty minutes before she was supposed to leave, Buzz had the video camera feed from the ER loaded and ready to view.

"Captain," Buzz entered into the office quietly. "Ma'am, I have the video feed that you requested."

Standing, Sharon took a deep breath allowing her body a moment to prepare for what she was about to watch. Following Buzz to the electronics room, she was stunned and moved to find her team standing there waiting for her.

Flynn and Provenza took a seat on either side of Sharon while the rest of the team pulled in close; they all had fallen completely head over heels for Danni when they helped her over the weekend. The video was clear and under hospital policy had sound to it.

"She's so gentle," Buzz commented as he watched Danni take care of the child.

"You have no idea," Sharon smiled. "I've never had a doctor as gentle and caring as she is."

"She put forty-two stitches into my head one time," Flynn smirked. "Didn't feel a thing; didn't leave a scar either."

"There's the father," Provenza pointed to the doorway. "Security guard is down."

The first shot startled the whole team; every single one of them jumped. When the gun turned on Danni, the team moved forward as if in some way they could change the events that were about to come.

"Oh God," Sharon whimpered when the gun fired and hit Matt nailing him in the chest. "It went under his vest."

Tears streamed down the Captain's face as she watched Danielle work with everything she had to save her husband. A sob barely contained as she watched the hospital staff pull Danni away so they could allow the police and medical examiner in to do their job. The woman looked so small as they loaded her on the gurney and injected medication into her blood stream that still her fighting body and rendered her unconscious.

"We find this son of a bitch," Provenza growled. "Did you hear me? We will find this son of a bitch."

Sharon was so lost in the images on the screen that she didn't feel every member of her team place a supportive hand on her. Lost in the images; lost watching the agony of her friend's pain. "He left the boy," Sharon sighed in relief. "Maybe the little boy can give us some leads."

"Maybe," Flynn nodded. "Your four hours are up; we'll look into it and let you know. Why don't you go take Danni some lunch?"

"I think I will," Sharon smiled. "I can't thank you enough for being in here, all of you."

"She's family now, Captain." Julio made sure that Sharon understood. "Go get some rest, ma'am. You're looking a little tired."

Sharon stopped long enough to dry her eyes and touch up her makeup; she didn't want Danni seeing that she had been crying. Arriving at the office with lunch in hand, Sharon watched as the receptionists face lit up.

"You are so good for her," Sandy smiled. "She's in her office doing charts; we've been lightening her schedule much to her dismay."

"I figured if she has me on four hour days; I can spoil her a bit for the great care." Sharon winked as she walked through the door and down the hallway. "You look hungry and in need of a break."

"Hey sweetheart," Danni's face lit up with a smile. "How'd your first four hour day go?"

"Fast," Sharon chuckled. "You have time to eat with me? My doctor has me on this food schedule; she's pretty tough."

"I do," Danni pulled a chair around so Sharon could sit with her. "Remind me to thank your doctor for this. Want to tell me why you've been crying?"

"I think I'm having sympathy hormones." Sharon lied.

"Sharon?" Danielle moved closer so that she could measure her friend's pulse. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Yes," Sharon took a deep breath and turned more towards Danni. "So, Rusty and I were talking last night after we got home and we were hoping that you'd spend some time with us at the condo. He's already rearranged things in his head for the portable crib and was working on an area in our storage room for baby stuff."

"I'd like that," Danni smiled. "You are both welcome in my home any time you like. In fact, I am hoping you want to come a lot because it was nice to have people over. Perhaps, I could persuade Andy, Lewis and Rusty to join us for dinner Friday evening unless your guys have a case. I am leaving early; my schedule seems to clear up at noon; you could come with me."

"I would love to spend the afternoon with you," Sharon giggled. "How is my son doing working for you?"

"Very well; he really is an asset here. I love his company; his work is great and the entire staff along with our regulars like him."

"Danni?:" Mark yelled from the hallway. "I need your help."

"Hey there little one," Danni smiled when she saw the four year old little girl that was hiding from Mark. "Did you get away from Dr. Mark?"

Nodding the little girl moved further into her hiding spot. "Don't let her hide too far away; I have to give her meds."

"Leave them there," Danni shook her head "And give me a minute to get kid friendly."

Walking back into her office, Danni pulled off her lab coat, slips out of her shoes and into her Winnie the Pooh slippers. Sharon watched as she opened her cupboard and took out a teddy bear and made her way back to the hallway. Unable to not watch, Sharon moved to where she could see the events play out.

"Okay, I know you're in there." Danni sat down on the floor and stretched her legs out in front of her allowing her slippers to be seen. Giggles filled the dark space where the little girl was hiding. "I have a little bear… a little bear that needs a mommy. Wonder who would like to be a mommy to this little bear?"

Danni danced the bear around, bounced it off her slippers all until the temptation was too great and the little girl made her way out of her hiding spot. "Me?"

"Would you?" Danni's eyes lit up as the little girl nodded. Handing the bear over, Danni watched as the little girl looked at it with such wonder. "Now before the little bear can go home; he has to have all his medicine. Would you like to help me?"

"Yes," the giggles filled the office.

"Good!" Danni eased herself off the floor so she didn't scare the child away. "How about we go find Dr. Mark and he can do it?"

"No!" the little shook her head and started to cry. "I want you."

"Okay," moving to pick up the toddler; Danni felt something pull as soon as she shifted the little girl's weight to her hip.

"Well then," Danni put the little girl on the gurney in the closest patient room. "I think bear is scared. Do you think you could show him how brave you are so he can go home with you?"

"Yes," the smile from the little girl lit up the room. As brave as she could, she allowed Danni to inject her then the bear. "That didn't hurt!"

"I'm glad!" Danni hugged the little on and allowed her to leave with her mother.

Waiting for her friend to return, Sharon became concerned when she didn't immediately follow the little girl out. Seeing her doubled over the gurney, she rushed to her side calling after one of the doctors as she did "Oh honey," Sharon held her tight. "Breathe, Danni."

"Listen to your friend," Debbie said softly as she came around to check on her boss. "Come on; we're going over to my area; see what happened."

"Felt something pull," Danni gasped.

"Are you having any pain?" Debbie prodded softly smiling as she watched Sharon at Danni's side.

"A little," Danni tried to force herself to relax.

"Okay sweetie, everything off and into a gown. Your friend…." Debbie was cut off by Danni.

"Debbie, I am sorry. This is Captain Sharon Raydor aka Rusty's Guardian." Danni introduced the two women while she moved to behind the screen to change. Listening with a smile as Debbie gloated about how much she loved Rusty and how impressed she was with the care they had taken of Danni over the weekend.

"Do you want Sharon to stay?" Debbie questioned as soon as Danni surfaced.

"If she doesn't mind," Danni gave a tear filled smile. "You don't have to if you're not comfortable."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know for sure you and this baby are okay" Sharon waited until Danni was comfortable then took a seat next to her holding her hand.

"Relax Danni, I need to take a look." Debbie was going to be very thorough; she knew how much it would break Danni's heart for anything to happen to her baby. "Relax sweetie; you're not giving me any room. Sharon, distracting her for me."

"Look at me," Sharon smiled. "I was thinking about getting Rusty a laptop for graduation. I'd also like to give him a party but I'm not sure how much of that he will appreciate. I know he has friends from his chess club."

"I think more of his friends come from the clinic and the LAPD though." Danni commented. "Oh god, that hurt."

"Focus on me," Sharon brushed Danni's hair out of her eyes.

"Relax honey, I am almost done. You're doing fine." Debbie kept working while Sharon resumed the conversation.

"I thought about that so maybe you can help me get a head count on your staff, spouses, kids, I have my team count that way I have enough food and things for everyone." Sharon gently wiped Danni's tears away and squeezed her hand.

"I can do that," Danni smiled. "He's going to love the party.

"Listen to that strong heartbeat, mama." Debbie smiled as the strong heartbeat filled the room. "Let's take a look see if we can sneak a glimpse today."

The image of the squirming baby on the screen made Danni sob. Thumb firmly planted in the mouth suckling away; the baby was alive and beautiful and the moment was not sterile and lonely as usual.

"Well mommy," Debbie smiled. "This baby still doesn't want to let you know anything."

"Let me take another quick peek just to be sure everything is okay sweetie then you're going home; I want you back here to see me in the morning before going back to your desk. Everything looks good; you rest though. Fluids, feet up; no lifting of anything not even your purse."

"We'll stop at my condo and pack a bag for me. I'll text Rusty that he can come out after school; I will grab him some clothes." Sharon was in full mom mode.

Danni nodded and allowed Debbie to help her sit up. "I'll be out in a few minutes; why don't you go ahead and get me a time for the morning since I know you'll come with me it's easier if you just do it."

Sharon laughed. "I may have graduated to pain in her butt." Following Debbie out; she was moved when the woman hugged her. "She has no family, Sharon. You're very good for her."

"No family?" Sharon hadn't thought about asking about anything beyond her husband; it never dawned on her to even delve into Danni's background.

"She grew up in foster care," Debbie explained. "Mother died when she was little; father rotting in prison for raping a child. Nobody wanted a child of a rapist; so she stayed in the system."

"Where is her father now?" Sharon questioned.

"Dead, fifteen years now." Debbie answered softly. "She's had a lot of pain in her life; you're good for her so is Rusty. We all love that young man and we love Danni. Danni's our family and we will do anything for her."

"My team feels the same about her," Sharon smiled. "I'm going to love spoiling her and that baby. My children live out of state except for Rusty; it's nice to have a young woman in my life."

"She can be a good friend too," Debbie said softly. "Don't carry the world on your shoulders if you can call Danni and let some of it go."

"I will remember that," Sharon smiled. "How much longer does she have in her pregnancy?"

"Six more weeks," Debbie's eyes lit up. "Then we get to see what she's been nurturing and growing. That baby is as stubborn as its mother."

"I heard that," Danni laughed. "You ready to go honey? I'm actually hungry still and I am craving something I think you're going to love so if we hurry; we can have some girl time before Rusty and Andy invade our space."

"Go," Debbie laughed. "She is underweight, Sharon. Feed her! Here is my card with my contact info, call me or text me if you need me."

"Thank you," Sharon winked as she put the card in her purse and wrapped her arm around the young woman's back. "Let's go get you fed."

"You may gain a pound or two yourself eating with a pregnant woman," Danni laughed as the two women settled into the middle of her bed with a movie and ate the gourmet ice cream the young woman had been craving.

"This is nice," Sharon smiled as she returned from taking away their dishes. "It's been a very long time since I have had someone that allows me to mother them and someone that is a friend that will listen."

"Something was bothering you earlier," Danni took Sharon's hand in her own. "I know it's not sympathy hormones. You had been crying; do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Sharon shook her head. "It was just a rough morning; the team has been overwhelmingly supportive and I'm not used to that."

"It's okay to allow yourself to be taken care of, Sharon." Danni laughed. "Wow, I am one to give advice aren't I? I need a nap and I do believe that by doctor's orders you are to be resting. I will text Andy; he can let Rusty in."

Sharon snuggled in with Danni; the young woman generously allowing her hand to linger on her active child tucked safely in her belly. The flutters and movements sending Sharon into a relaxing sleep.

"Hey beautiful girl," Andy smiled when he walked into the bedroom to find Danielle reading with her feet up. "Had a scare, I heard."

"I did," Danni shivered. "Sit with me for a bit?"

"Sure," toeing off his shoes, Andy crawled up next to his friend and pulled her close. "To Kill a Mocking Bird, I love that book."

"I do too," the smile was true. "Do you remember giving this to me?"

"I do," Andy laughed. "Thought your father in law was going to choke me because we were so engrossed in that conversation that I made him late for the game. Provenza was pissed too."

"Think he'll grow to love me?" Danni snuggled closer to Andy allowing him to hold her.

"I think he already does," Andy smiled as he felt her tremble. "You are safe with us; you can let it all go." The tears were already seeping into his shirt; he knew she needed the release. The young women's sobs tore at Sharon from where she watched at the doorway. The feeling of helplessness was almost overwhelming until Andy motioned for her to come closer. "Think you could hold her for a bit; I need to check in at the station."

The young woman didn't object, she simply laid her head on Sharon's shoulder and allowed herself to be held. The sound of voices woke her an hour later. Waking slowly, Danni smiled to see Sharon snuggled up to her sleeping.

"You okay?" Sharon questioned when Danni moved a bit.

"I am; just need to use the bathroom. Baby on bladder should be a sign that I wear around my waist." Danni laughed.

Sharon was straightening up the bedroom when Provenza knocked on the door. "How is she?"

"She is okay," Sharon nodded. "We snacked and napped; she seems a bit more settled."

"Lt. Provenza," Danni smiled as she came out of the bathroom wrapping her robe around her. "It's nice to see you again."

"Thank you," Louie blushed slightly. "I just came to make sure they were taking good care of you."

"I couldn't ask for better!" Danni laughed. "I wanted to ask you for a favor." Danni wrapped her arm around Provenza's and led him down to the nursery. "Andy thinks the world of you; Sharon respects you and Rusty looks up to you. I was wondering if you would come over more often; have dinner with me from time to time? Be a fixture in the life of my child; I don't want my child to ever feel that it doesn't have people in this world to count on."

"I don't know what to say," Lewis stumbled over his words as he moved to sit by the young woman and take her hand in his own. "I would be honored. You can count on me and the rest of them to be there for you, Danielle."

"Thank you," Danni smiled. "Promise me something; promise me that you'll look after Sharon. I don't have many female friends in this world; she's very precious to me."

"I will," Provenza nodded. "You have my word."

"Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight, Lieutenant?" The young woman extended her hand and waited for an answer.

"It would be my pleasure," the kiss to her hand made her feel warmed with love. "I also brought a movie because I was told that you are to be off your feet."

"Guilty," Danni sighed. "I don't want to keep sleeping; I am afraid I will get too much tonight will be awake until my child turns eighteen."

The evening was light and filled with laughter; Provenza's heart was captured by this woman and the longer he spent with her the more he wanted to be the one to put a bullet between the eyes of the man that took her world away.

"Gentleman, it's been a very lovely evening." Danielle kissed both men as she walked them to the door. "Please, promise we will do this again?"

"We will," the guys said in unison.

Morning brought Sharon into the office a little later than she had expected. Danielle's appointment had gone well but just like Sharon, she was placed on modified duty for shortened hours to allow her to rest.

"Captain," Flynn called as she walked through the murder room. "We've hit a dead end."

"What happened?" Sharon put her purse and jacket on a nearby desk.

"Local PD searched and came up empty in our tip about this Walker guy." Provenza reported. "There are no other leads at the moment but I say we take another shot at the aunt; she was holding something back."

"Get her in here," Captain Raydor said sternly. "Buzz, I want you to isolate some key parts of that video and string them together for the aunt to watch. Perhaps it will jog her memory."

Three hours and forty-two minutes later, the aunt was still nowhere to be found. Sharon paced the floor of the murder room; they were missing something and she knew it. Something about this situation was too convenient; something didn't feel right.

"Lieutenant Provenza," Sharon's head snapped up. "Get Agent Howard from the FBI over here."

"Do you mind my asking why?" Provenza questioned lightly.

"We're going to ask him where he is hiding Alvin Walker." Sharon gave a short nod.

"What?" The whole team practically came undone at the seams.

"How else is it that our witnesses keep vanishing after we talk to them? How does a man murder an officer and just vanish?"

"Because the FBI has him on the radar for something bigger," Fritz interrupted as he walked into the murder room. "However, I am not the agent involved but after meeting Danielle, I thought I would look into her husband's murder."

"So what do we do now?" Flynn questioned.

"We find a way to bring a young woman justice for her husband while giving the FBI a helping hand with their case." Fritz watched the team carefully. "We'll get this son of a bitch; I promise you that."

"Captain?" Provenza called rather softly to his superior officer. "Your four hours are up; it's time for you to go home and get some rest."

"I'm not leaving," Sharon grabbed the file; walked to her office and closed the door.

"Call Danielle," Provenza said softly. "Get all traces of what we're working on into one of the conference rooms; that young woman is likely to walk in here anytime as it is."

Moving everything to a private area, the team tried to keep the case under wraps to protect the young woman.

"You rang?" Danni teased as she walked into the murder room.

"She won't leave," Provenza pointed to the office.

"You're looking into my husband's killer aren't you?" Danni questioned the guilty looking team. "I want you to; if you are just tell me. Yesterday, she had been crying when she brought me lunch then she avoided the subject when I tried to get her to talk. Up to now, she's been following my orders; there is only two things I can come up with that would keep her here something with Rusty or the Alvin Walker case."

"We are," Flynn nodded. "Just don't get upset; that baby needs you calm."

"I am not upset," the tear filled smile put the team at ease. "I'm very touched by what you're doing. I won't bother you about the case; just promise me that you're going to watch out for one another."

"We will," Julio replied.

"Think you can get her out of there," Fritz pointed to the Captain's office.

"I do," Danielle winked teasingly. "Do you want her to take the file or no?"

"No," the team said in unison.

"We want her back," Buzz spoke up. "Take care of her."

Walking into Sharon's office without knocking, the young doctor startled her friend. "Come on," Danni smiled. "Time to go; you're going home to rest."

Sharon sat down in her chair; her hairs making its way to cover her eyes and hide the pain she was feeling for her friend. "I need to see this through for you."

"You need to go home and get some rest. This case can wait; you have a team that can handle it."

"Let me finish this up," Sharon pointed to the file in front of her. "I promise that I'll leave after I'm done."

"You're finished now," Danni moved to close the folder. "Alvin Walker killed my husband; he's been out there walking around free all this time. Your team is working on it; it's not going to matter much to me what happens if I lose my friends in the process. Let's go."

Sharon followed silently; she was stewing that Danielle knew the details of what was going on. In her head, all she could see was the video playing before her over and over again.

"Can you spare two people? Drive the Captain's car back to her condo for me?"

"We'll do it," Flynn and Provenza grabbed coats and headed to the elevator taking the keys that Danni had liberated from Sharon's purse as they went. "She's upset." Flynn watched the emotions play through Sharon's eyes as they took the elevator down. "Captain, let's take your car back to your place."

Smiling, the doc made her way to her SUV and out of the parking garage knowing that Andy would deliver Sharon to her condo and hopefully a much calmer version of her too.

"You want to talk about it?" Flynn questioned softly.

"Can't get the video out of my head," Sharon whispered. "How is she still standing after all she's been through?"

"That baby keeps her going; her patients keep her going. Sharon, you're keeping her going. The kid smiles now; I haven't seen a smile since Matt died. Don't shut down on her; don't get lost in her sadness." Flynn pulled into the parking garage and into the parking space that Sharon pointed out.

"Hey," Danni opened Sharon's door and extended a hand. "How about some lunch?"

Shaking her head, Sharon squeezed Danni's hand before letting go to walk past her. Provenza followed the Captain into the building leaving Andy to take care of their young friend.

"You can't shut her out," Provenza stepped between Sharon and the elevator. "She's done nothing but take very good care of you and the kid. . "Don't shut down on her because of what you saw. I want you to look at this as Captain Sharon Raydor, Major Crime's division of the LAPD not as her friend."

"I don't know how to separate them this time." The voice was tiny; a whisper.

"The hell you don't," Provenza snapped. "You separate them because that baby needs you to do so. You separate them because someone's husband is lying six feet under with two bullets in him. You separate them because a damn good cop died in that emergency room and the bureaucratic bullshit we put up with his stalling justice. You separate them because you're about the rules and the rules…."

"Screw the rules," Sharon interrupted. "Screw the damn rules; that baby did nothing to deserve losing its father."

"I've got her from here, gentleman." Danni wrapped an arm around Sharon's shoulder and pushed the button for the elevator. "I'll call if I need you." Steering Sharon down the hallway and into her condo, Danielle allowed the door to click softly behind them and place her bag on the floor before turning Sharon to face her. "Thank you for caring enough to be this upset."

Sharon hugged Danni tight; the words seeming to be only thing keeping her together. "I will hunt this man down and make him pay."

"You and your team will," the young woman led Sharon to the couch where she tucked her in. "But not today; today, you rest."


	13. Chapter 13

Hello! Thank you to all the guests that review this story! Love them! We are getting close to meeting Danni's baby so put on your creative brains…. Where should this baby be born?

Story Note: Yes, I did push it a bit here but you'll see why when Danni finally explains things to Debbie.

* * *

"You really do not have to keep taking care of me," Sharon protested from the couch. "I am fine now."

"Honestly?" Danielle moved to sit on the couch with her friend. "Are you honestly okay?"

"Yes," Sharon nodded with confidence.

"Want to go shopping with me?" Danni smiled as Sharon's eyes lit up. "I need a few more things for the baby."

"I would love to." Sharon moved to hop off the sofa to get ready.

"Go change," Danni laughed. "Jean, tennis shoes, ankle support…. Doctor's orders."

"Yes ma'am." Sharon snickered. "You're worse that Rusty."

"Oh am I?" Danni laughed. "Guess I have to get the kid to step it up a bit."

Shopping seemed to be very soothing for both women. They had lunch and worked their way through the stores getting the remainder of the items that Danni had on her list as well as suggestions from Sharon.

"Rusty is going to love those clothes you got him," Danni laughed. "You really cannot help yourself when it comes to spoiling him can you?"

"He doesn't ask for anything," Sharon sighed. "I wish he would ask for something; anything I would love to have him be demanding and have to tell him no. It feels like he holds back afraid he'll overstep and I will want rid of him."

"Give him time," Danielle said softly. "He spent sixteen years not feeling loved or wanted; it's going to take a little more time to become secure in what he has. It's not easy growing up the way we did; it's a constant battle to want to live at times. Don't be so hard on yourself; he hasn't run away since he's lived with you. That speaks volumes."

"You ready to go home? You look exhausted." Sharon smiled when her young friend let out a sigh.

"I am." Danni leaned over and kissed Sharon's cheek. "Thank you for doing this with me; I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you to help me out."

"I have enjoyed this just as much as you have," Sharon reassured.

In the car, Danni sat behind the wheel waiting to start the vehicle; she had something on her mind and she needed Sharon to listen. "I want to see the video from the hospital; the one that has you so upset."

"Honey," Sharon gasped. "No, you don't want to see that."

"I do," Danielle turned slightly to look at Sharon. "Have Andy bring it. I don't remember much about that day; I need to know that I did everything that I could to save him."

"Sweetheart," Sharon squeezed her hand. "You did more than you could."

"Ask Andy to bring it over? You could stay with me tonight? Rusty too?" Danni pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of Sharon's condo. "Let's go get your stuff."

The team was waiting at Danni's house when she arrived with Sharon and Rusty. Everyone carried a few items from the shopping spree inside making it all in one trip.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Andy handed over the DVD to Tao.

"I have to," Danni sighed. "I have to know."

"Thank you for waiting for me," Deb said softly as she walked in the door and put her medical bag on the table. "Food will be here in about an hour. Let's get this over with so she can rest."

"Who called you?" Danni was caught off guard.

"Sharon texted me," Deb smiled. "She is worried this is going to be too much for you."

The team waited for Danni to take a seat in the middle of her sofa; Sharon on one side and Andy on the other before they settled in close. Every member was within reach of Danni or the Captain; Provenza had a tight grip on Rusty's arm as they took him out of the room before returning to sit with Sharon.

The images flashed on the screen, the sound filling the air as Danielle watched the replay of that day. Debbie sat in front of her friend to keep a close eye on her and the baby; the scene playing in front of her breaking her heart as she remembered moments that rocked her best friend's world forever..

"Mike, shut it off." Provenza said calmly as he placed a supportive hand on his Captain's back.

"Danni?" Flynn hugged the young woman tight. "You did everything in your power to save him; did you see that?"

"He was dead when he hit the floor," Danni sobbed. "It didn't matter what I did."

"Easy honey," Deb measured her patient's pulse. "Breathe for me."

Forcing herself to calm down, Danni swiped at her tears before looking at the team. "I want you to hunt that son of a bitch down and put a bullet between his eyes."

"Enough is enough," Debbie pulled Danni to her feet and gently pushed her down the hallway. "I shouldn't have let you do this to begin with. I don't know what the hell possessed me to agree to this or why you even wanted to do this, Danielle."

"I couldn't remember," Danni stopped her friend. "I couldn't remember if I did everything in my power as a doctor to save him; I couldn't remember if I was too scared and just let him die. Every night in my sleep; he dies in my arms because all I do is hold him and watch him go. Don't you understand, I couldn't remember!"

"I'm sorry," Debbie gently walked Danni to her bedroom and examined her behind closed door leaving a very worried Sharon and team behind.

"I should have said no," Sharon sighed.

"Don't do that, Captain. She's been allowing it to eat at her for months; now she knows." Julio stepped up and placed a supportive hand on his supervisor's arm.

"Was he really dead before he hit the floor?" Rusty questioned as he eased out of the den.

"He was," Sharon nodded as she wiped at the tears.

"She'll be okay, Sharon. You don't even know how many things she has been through in her life and is okay." Rusty whispered. "We talked the other day about her life in foster care and some of the awful things her biological father did to her. She's strong."

Time seemed to crawl slowly until Debbie opened the door to the bedroom. "Andy, she wants you."

"Hey kid," Andy walked to the bedside. "You okay?"

"Yeah," the sad smile crossed her face. "Deb won't let me up; she's being overprotective."

"With good reason, sweetheart." Andy kissed her forehead and sat down.

"I couldn't have saved him," Danni's eyes filled with tears.

"No, you couldn't have, sweet girl. He died as soon as that bullet hit his heart." Andy wiped her tears gently. "Sharon's a wreck, do you mind if I let her in?"

"Go ahead," Danni sighed. "I just needed you first; I'm sorry."

"Never be sorry," Andy kissed Danni's nose. "You and Matt were my surrogate kids over the years; I feel some days like I lost my own son. I don't know how you have managed to go on; I don't know how I have but I know we have to because he would kick our asses if he thought we were having a pity party over him."

"I have no family but you, Andy." Danni smiles.

"I think you've got more than you realize." Andy kissed her forehead and moved to the door to get Sharon. "Captain?"

"She okay?" Sharon eased into the room and hesitated just inside the door.

"You're vibrating," Andy whispered.

"Come here," Danni scooted over in the bed. "Come sit with me."

"You're okay?" Sharon hugged her friend tight.

"I promise, I am. Crawl up here with me for a few minutes; both of you." Danni patted the opposite side of the bed for Andy.

"Rest," Sharon whispered.

"Think we could fit everyone in here for a movie after we eat?" Danni giggled.

"I think we can give it a try." Andy snickered. "Going to be a close fit and I don't think Provenza is going to share well but we can try."

"Dinner's here," Deb poked her head in. "You want up, mama?"

"I do," Danni allowed the three adults to ease her to her feet. "I'm starved please tell me you didn't order rabbit food."

"I get you tofu one time and you make it sound like I try to poison you daily; give a girl a break." Deb was teasing as they walked out the bedroom door.

"They sound like you and Lt. Provenza." Sharon laughed.

The weekend went smoothly; the team worked on finding Alvin Walker while Danni rested under their supervision. For the most part, they set up a command station on her back porch and kitchen while she worked on the baby's room or watched movies with various member of the team.

"You going back to work tomorrow?" Rusty questioned softly.

"I am," Danni smiled. "I will be off for a while after the baby so I want to be at the clinic as much as I possibly can."

Monday morning brought back the normal routine. "Danielle?" Debbie called as she walked into her friend's office. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did," Danni smiled. "I want you to take a look at Sharon for me when she comes in today. I don't think I'm missing anything but she's still exhausted. I want to talk to her before we put her in a room though; see if she'll open up to me."

"I can do that." Debbie smiled. "How are you holding up?"

"Four more weeks seems like an eternity. Feel like a quick trip to Vegas? See if we can roll that 42? Come on forty-two." Danni laughed.

"Hey," Sharon waved as she walked in. "I'm early; Rusty had to be at school early today."

"Come in," Danni pointed to the chair across from her desk. "I wanted time to talk to you before we put you in a room."

"Is something wrong?" Sharon started to feel uncomfortable. "Did Rusty do something?"

"Oh no," Danielle moved to the front of her desk to sit with Sharon. "Nothing like that. Debbie, would you excuse us and close the door on your way out?"

"What's wrong?" Sharon turned to get a good look at her friend.

"I'm concerned about you, honey. The fatigue doesn't seem to be getting any better; I could tuck you in right now and you'd sleep for an hour."

"I'm fine." Sharon defended. "I just need to get back to work."

"I'm not trying to keep you from working; I am trying to do what is best for you." The words were true and heartfelt and pulled at Sharon from her soul. "You're not sleeping at night are you?"

"No," Sharon sighed.

"Nightmares still?" Danni pushed.

"They change now," Sharon sighed.

"Tell me?" Danni pushed gently.

"It's Rusty sometimes, sometimes Alvin Walker killed you. There are times that I dream that Jack dies." Sharon took a deep breath. "Once I wake up, I can't back to sleep."

Hugging Sharon so tight; she is almost afraid that the woman will break; Danni holds on until Sharon finally relaxes bonelessly in her arms. "You sleep better when you're at my house; why don't you spend this week there and get some rest? We're going to make the nightmares stop; I promise you."

"I believe you," Sharon smiles into the young woman's shoulder. "I can't just move in on you for a nap."

"Sure you can! However, we need to fix this so you sleep. Okay, I'm slipping into full doctor mode here." Taking Sharon's hand, Danielle pulled her up and led her to the examination room. "Everything off, put on the gown and I'll be back in five minutes."

Complying, Sharon was sitting on the exam table waiting for Danni to return. A bit startled to find Debbie step in; she watched for a moment to see exactly why the doctor was present. "Danni asked me to come take a look at you; she's worried she's missing something. I have strict instructions to wait for her though."

"Okay," Danni came into the room pulling a cart behind her. "You would think I'm in charge or something the way people jump to give me what I ask for." Both women laugh; the tension in the room still thick. "Okay, I asked Deb to step in for another set of eyes; just to make sure I'm not missing something. I'm going to assist so that you don't have to have one of the nurses in here with you."

Debbie wasn't as gentle as Danielle but Sharon couldn't complain at the care she was receiving. "I agree with your original findings; she's healthy."

"Let's draw some new labs," true to her reputation, the young woman filled several tubes without Sharon even flinching. "I'm going to run some additional tests; see if possibly you have a chemical imbalance that is preventing you from sleeping or perhaps hormones. It happens when there is a great deal of stress and Lord knows you've been under a great deal of stress."

"How long do those take?" Sharon was looking at the clock.

"I'm going to put them in as a rush," Danni answered as she clicked away on the computer screen. "Deb, take these with you please while I finish examining my patient."

"Yes, doctor." Debbie teased as she walked out of the exam room and headed towards the lab. "Anything you say doctor."

"Cut the crap," Danni laughed easing Sharon's tension. "How are you doing?" Danni turned her attention back to Sharon.

"Okay," Sharon sighed. "Bit nervous?"

"That's okay," the young woman gently poked around on her patient's stomach as she talked. "Nerves mean you're taking me seriously."

"I am," Sharon gave a nervous smile. "I never meant for you to think that I wasn't. You're very good at what you do."

"Relax for a minute; I've got to find my stethoscope unless Deb ran off with it then she's going to be in big trouble. Nope, here it is where it belongs!" Danni went quiet listening to heart, lungs, stomach and neck. "Everything looks good; we just have to work out this sleeping thing for you. Go ahead and get dressed; I will be right back."

Danni made her way to her office to call over the Major Crimes. Finding the team had a case and needed their Captain, the doc worked at getting her out the door. "I checked in with your team, they do need you. Go ahead and go over; I will be over as soon as I have your results in or with lunch whichever comes first. Six hours of desk duty to help your team; just take it easy."

"What did you find?" Sharon questioned as soon as she hit the murder room; the text she sent while walking to her car revealed a break in the Alvin Walker case.

"The FBI doesn't have Walker; the LAPD had him." Tao smirked. "He was turning evidence on a drug ring which means…"

"Which means… we can go after him with all we've got. I want his face plastered all over every newspaper and TV station. I want the radios talking about this cop killer; get him out on the air waves."

"Captain, if this is the first time he's been out since he killed Matt; he's likely to go after his son." Flynn interjected.

"The last person he's going to associate with knowing where that boy is would be Danielle." Sharon ran a frantic hand through her hair. "We're going to need a protection detail for her."

"I'll take her," Fritz stepped into the room. "Use all your LAPD resources on this piece of trash; I will take care of Danni."

"What's wrong with Danni?" Rusty questioned as he walked into the room.

Provenza stepped in to explain. "The man that killed her husband is about to be brought down; we're working on a protection detail for her."

"Well you better hurry then because she's heading out to one of the orphanages to do the wellness checks on the kids with Dr. Mark." Rusty pointed to the door and watched as the whole team went running.

"Danielle," Fritz called as they crossed the street into the parking lot. "Glad I could catch you. We need to talk." Walking back into the clinic, Danni took Fritz to her office for a meeting.

"What can I do for the FBI?" Danni settled at her desk.

"I am going to protect you and your baby," Fritz said calmly. "The man hunt for Alvin Walker is stepping up and we have concern for your safety."

"Why?" Danielle was confused.

"You are the last person that he is aware of that knows where his son is," Fritz explained. "He may come after you to get his son back. He may feel that you hold the key to getting his son back."

Danni placed a protective hand over her belly. "What are you saying?"

"You're safe," Fritz reassured.

Danni growled. "Who is going after him?"

"A special task for assigned to the LAPD." Fritz explained. "Let's get you somewhere you are safe."

"Where are we going?" Danni was starting to shake and Fritz was concerned it was going to take more than just protecting her to keep her safe.

"Let's go see Captain Raydor," Fritz pulled Danielle close. "Rusty is over there too; maybe we can find you a place to rest for a bit. I will keep you safe."

Fritz half carried Danni into the murder room to a very concerned team. "Hey," Sharon greeted her very pregnant friend. "There is a sofa in my office with your name on it. Rusty, can you get her some juice? Amy, please find me a few blankets."

"Yes ma'am." Sykes made her way to the storage room returning with pillows and blankets. "You're going to be okay; we'll keep you and your baby safe."

"Keep each other safe," Danni's hands trembled with fear.

"Breathe honey," Sharon coached softly in her ear. "You've got to calm down for this little one."

"Sharon," Rusty handed his foster mother the juice. "Could I stay with her?"

"I think that would be a good idea," the woman in charge needed to finish this so that the baby joining their family would be safe. "If she needs me, you yell for me. If she needs Debbie then call across the street first then find me. Whatever she needs; we take care of her."

"I got this," Rusty reassured as he pulled out some homework. "I need help with my chemistry assignment."

"What are you working on?" Danni was so involved in helping Rusty that the rest of the world seemed to fade away much to Sharon's relief.

"She okay, Captain?" Provenza questioned.

"Yeah," Sharon glanced back at her office to double check. "She's scared and I don't blame her."

"We're going to get this bastard," Provenza promised.

"For her sake, we have to. Think we can get some lunch in here so she eats?" Sharon sighed.

"It's already on its way so that you eat," Provenza winked. "You are the glue holding her together, Sharon. You have to take care of yourself. Go sit with her for a while; I'm going to follow up on something that is bothering me."

Walking into her office, Sharon shut the door and pulled the blinds. "You okay?" Her voice was calm and Danni's eyes filled with tears as soon as she sat down beside her.

"Don't touch me," Danni whispered. "I'll fall apart."

"Rusty," Sharon gave a sad smile. "Unfold one of those blankets for me." Placing it over Danni, Sharon pulled her close and held tight allowing her to cry in fear. "Sweetheart, you have to calm down a little bit and let the baby breathe. Put your head in my lap and get comfortable; you need some rest."

"Hey," Fritz made his way into the office. "We're working on a safe house; it's almost set up."

"Thank you," Sharon whispered as she gently rubbed Danni's head. "You're going to have to keep an eye on her; this baby could decide to come at any time with all this stress."

"You're serious?" Fritz wiped a hand over his face. "Maybe we should just put her in a room at the hospital and guard it instead."

"Why can't I just stay here?" Danni blinked up at Sharon. "Find me a room where I won't be seen by anyone; I will stay out of the way."

"That actually may work," Fritz pulled out his phone. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"He hates me," Danni groaned as she snuggled closer to Sharon.

"He's a man; he's an emotional cripple. Don't worry about Agent Howard; he's just afraid that you're going to give birth and he is going to have to deliver your baby."

"Speaking of giving birth," Danni pushes herself up so she can see Sharon's face. "Would you be with me?"

"When you have the baby?" Sharon's heart flips as her eyes fill with tears. "I would be honored to be present for the birth of your child."

* * *

A/N: Okay first … Vote via review: Boy or Girl


	14. Chapter 14

Fritz's fear of having to play midwife spurred some cooperation from several places and before they knew it; Chief Taylor had found an empty office complete with a desk and sofa. There were no windows so that was less worry for the security team. They managed to get Danni set up with everything she needed to do some of her administrative functions of the clinic right from the LAPD.

There had been talk about the young woman's clinic taking over the physicals and minor injuries of the LAPD due to the close proximity. Since she as a captive audience, Chief Taylor and the doctor worked through all the contract issues that had been flagged by administration and managed to seal the deal all while providing protection.

"I actually have a program that we can install that will keep track of when everyone is due and the results so that you will have full access. We can link them from my office to here so you have real time results. It will take a little setting up but I will be off for a while with the baby so I will have time to get that implemented.

"Tell me what you need," Chief Taylor smiled. "I think this will work out nicely and from what I have seen with you and Captain Raydor, you're not going to side with the patient and risk their health or the LAPD."

"Understand, my patients are my priority. I will not release them or clear them unless I feel they are fit for duty. I don't care how shorthanded you are or how much you need them; I won't jeopardize their safety." Danni was very stern with Taylor.

Chief Taylor's face broke out in a smile. "Which is exactly why I recommended you for this contract; I think you are a perfect match for the LAPD. Your work with Captain Raydor has been actually impressive; she would have scared anyone else into allowing her back before now."

"Do you have anything now that has last physical date?" Danni opened up her laptop and fired up the program that she needed. "I can work my way through them. We are a paperless office so everything will be on the computer."

"You're wincing," Taylor said softly. "Are you having contractions?"

"I am," Danni nodded. "Not regular so please don't say anything yet; I don't think I can handle the fussing."

"You should at the very least tell Captain Raydor," Taylor suggested. "Let her be there for you. Labor is a hard and emotional time for a mother; I have children of my own. My wife needed the support."

"You're right," Danni nodded."

"I will go talk to her." Taylor smiled. "I can do it without alerting the rest of the team."

Taylor made his way to the murder room, listening as the team gave the update on the Alvin Walker case. As soon as they were done, Taylor motioned for Raydor to accompany him to the hallway.

"Yes, Chief?" Raydor gave Taylor a hard look.

"Danielle is having contractions," Taylor smiled as Sharon's eyes filled with tears. "They aren't regular and she doesn't want to alert the rest of the team. She's feeling a bit overwhelmed; I thought maybe she could use a friend."

"Thank you," Sharon smiled. "I will make my way down to check on her. When it's time for that baby to come; I am with her."

"I expected as much," Taylor smiled. "You just take lots of pictures and let me know if she needs anything. My wife is baby gift shopping today."

"I will do that," Sharon started down the hallway stopping long enough to grab a bottle of water from the break room before entering the office where Danielle had been held up in meeting during the afternoon. "Rumor has it that you're having contractions." Sharon said softly after she closed the door.

"I am," Danielle smiled. "Nothing regular yet, I really don't want the guys to get anxious yet."

"Understandable." Sharon moved next to her young friend and gently rubbed her back. "You need anything besides this water?"

"I'd like to walk," Danni sighed. "I just don't want to inconvenience anyone by doing so. Nor do I want the guys ready to carry me down the hallway." Danni giggled. "Your team has to be the most loving group of men I have ever met; they are very protective."

"They have saved that for you," Sharon snickered. "I wasn't so lucky when I first met them."

"Well, I would say by the way they look at you now; that has changed a lot." Standing Danni grabbed the list of LAPD officers from the printer and grabbed a clipboard. "Think we can look official and walk?"

"We can try," Sharon smiled. "Let's go via my office so I can grab my weapon so I can serve as your security; I would feel better that way."

"I haven't cleared you," Danni cautioned.

"I'm in the building," Sharon countered with a wink. "It's a fine line on the rules."

Walking seemed to ease Danni's restlessness. Sharon hovered protectively but not so close that it crowded the younger woman. "I'm ready to lie down," Danni groaned when a stronger contraction hit.

"Let's go back to the couch," Sharon caught Flynn's attention and motioned him to follow. Andy stayed far enough behind the women to not draw suspicion until the ladies were around the corner and out of sight.

"You okay?" Andy stopped Danni with a gentle hand on her back.

"She's having contractions," Sharon explained softly. "Not close enough together to go to the hospital or worry the team yet."

"That explains the walking," Andy smiled. "We thought it was nervous energy."

"Walking helps but I need to lie down." Danni grabbed Sharon's hand when a sharp pain hit. "Oh that was different."

"Breathe," Sharon held tight while Andy rubbed Danni's back.

"Get her out of the hallway," Tao came running up.

"Now," Provenza shouted as the elevator doors opened to reveal a cuffed Alvin Walker.

"Come on," Flynn tried shield Danielle while Sharon pulled her down the hallway.

"No," Danni shook her head. "Stop."

Sharon, Flynn, Provenza and Sanchez all pulled their weapons and trained them on Walker as Danielle stood in front of him giving him a hard look. "Do you remember me?"

"You're the bitch that took my kid," Walker spat.

"I was helping your son; he was sick." Danni corrected. "He almost died. Did you know that? I saved your son's life and you took my husband's life. How screwed up is that?"

"My boy almost died?" Walker questioned breathless.

"His heart stopped twice in my emergency room; I brought him back both times. Where were you when he got so sick? Why did it take my husband finding him unconscious in an alley to get him help? The man that you shot and killed in cold blood; that man saved your little boy's life. That man is the reason your son is still alive. My baby will never know its father because of you; you took my child's daddy from them."

"It was the drugs," Walker whispered.

"I took an oath to first do no harm." Danni stepped back. "I would like nothing more than to take Captain Raydor's gun from her hand and put a bullet between your eyes for what you took from me."

"Do it," Walker growled.

"I think I would rather haunt your dreams both asleep and awake as the bitch that put you away for life." Danni's hand went to her stomach; the contractions starting to grow stronger. "Maybe I will even be lucky enough to put a needle in your arm."

"Go ahead and try," Walker grinned. "I made a deal; I'm getting off."

"Actually," Hobbs made her way into the scene. "That deal didn't apply to these charges; just the drug charges. See, I am very much of the same mind from as the doctor here; you deserve a needle in your arm. What do you say to a little interview me, you and Lt. Provenza?"

"Get him out of here," Sharon ordered as she holstered her weapon and went to Danni's side. "Danni?" Sharon turned the young woman towards her; her heart breaking at the look of anguish on her face. "Oh sweetheart."

The sob that came from the young woman as her knees gave out broke hearts; Flynn caught her before she could hit the ground and scooped her up. Carrying her into the office and placing her on the sofa, he stood helplessly trying to figure out what to do. Sob after sob continued until the young woman fell asleep totally exhausted.

"Let's find a blanket," Sharon said softly from the floor.

"I called Debbie," Rusty said from the doorway. "She said she will be over to look her over; she's worried about her blood pressure. Why didn't you stop her?"

"Because she needed the closure," Sharon commented.

"How is she?" Deb questioned as she was ushered through the door by Buzz.

"Tried herself to sleep," Sharon sighed. "I'm going to see if we can get her out of here; she needs a real bed."

"Sharon," Deb stopped the older woman at the door. "Let's go ahead and take her over to the hospital."

"You're worried," Sharon gave a concerned look.

Deb sighed. "I'm going to wake her; can you take care of getting us there safely?"

"I can," Sharon nodded as she hurried out to round up Andy and Julio.

Danielle stood with Debbie and Sharon's help. They were five steps towards the door when the expectant mother doubled over with a strong contraction. "My water just broke."

"Let's go have a baby," Sharon said softly as they slowly walked to the door.

"You're not leaving me right?" Danni grabbed her friend's hand.

"Never," the voice was a cracked whisper; the emotions so intense as Sharon realized exactly how important this young woman had become to her. "I want to meet your son or daughter.

Alvin Walker was safely behind bars; the best deal Major Crimes ever conducted sealing his fate. Rusty, Flynn and Provenza nervously paced the hallway waiting for some word on how Danielle was doing.

"Gentlemen," a nurse came out with a smile. "Why don't you go in and see her; it's going to be a while yet."

Filing in the room, the guys stood at the foot of the bed in silence as Sharon coached Danni through a contraction. "Breathe; nice slow, even breaths. Good, again."

"Rusty?" Danni reached out to her friend. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Rusty moved beside Sharon. "What do you need?"

"Take Sharon and get her something to eat," Danni said softly as she closed her eyes to rest. "Please."

"I can do that," Rusty nodded as he pulled on Sharon's arm. "She's right you do need to eat."

"I'm not leaving you," Sharon argued.

"Yes, you are. I still out rank you on your health. This baby isn't coming in the next thirty minutes; go eat. Lt. Provenza, please get her to go."

"Come on Captain," Provenza held out a hand. "The sooner we get down there, the sooner we get back."

"I'll stay with her," Andy promised. "Go eat."

"Call me if anything changes, please." Sharon was very reluctant to leave but Provenza and Rusty pulled her out the door and towards the elevator. All three ate with a speed that should have made them sick but none of them wanted to be away for too long.

"I can't believe she sent me away," Sharon muttered in the elevator on the way back up to Danni's room.

"She was taking care of you," Provenza put a hand on Sharon's arm. "You were a bit pale and shaky."

"I was?" Sharon looked at Provenza then Rusty for confirmation.

"Breathe," Andy was wiping Danni's face off with a cool rag. "Come on sweetheart, you have to breathe."

"Want me to try?" Sharon questioned and Andy happily moved out of the way; he was worried. "Hey there, a deep breath now." There was a sternness to Sharon's voice that made Danni's eyes pop open and take a deep breath.

"Did you eat?" Danni reached a shaky hand and gently felt Sharon's forehead. "Better; you did eat."

"I did," Sharon smiled. "I'm good until breakfast which we are going to have together while holding that baby of yours."

"Gentlemen," Debbie smiled as she walked into the room. "How about you step out and let me check this sweet girl; see if she is ready to push yet."

The men stepped out, each as nervous as the others. "You would think we were the father," Flynn laughed.

"She's like a big sister," Rusty's eyes filled with tears. "She's in so much pain; I wish she didn't have to be in so much pain."

"Okay sweetheart, are you ready to push?" Deb smiled. "Ready to meet this baby?"

"Talk to the guys," Danni gasped through the next contraction.

Deb instructed to get things ready for the baby's arrival and to inform the men that it was time. Danni started pushing at 8:32 p.m., her body seemingly going on instinct. Sharon was gentle and loving, her own heart breaking as she watched the pain her young friend was in.

"Okay sweetie, I see the head. I need you to rest for a minute then we're going to do a big push."

Closing her eyes, Danni allowed Sharon to gently wipe off her face and feed her some ice chips. "You're doing great; you're going to meet your baby soon."

"If I have been short or mean to you, I am sorry." Danni's eyes filled with tears.

"Sweetheart, you haven't. You have been nothing but sweet, kind and worrying about me while you are the one we need to care for. Don't worry about that." Sharon leaned in and gently kissed the young woman's forehead.

"Next contraction, I want the big push." Deb called out.

The next contractions proved to drain all of Danni's strength. By the time the head was out, there was very little energy left in the young woman to deliver the shoulders.

"Danielle," Sharon turned the woman's face to her. "I know you're ready to sleep, honey. I know you're tired and in want nothing more than to get a break but that baby needs you right now. Just a few more pushes and you're going to be looking into the sweetest face you've ever seen searching that baby's features to find which are yours and which are Matt's."

"Why did I have to pick someone that interrogates and makes deals with criminals as a labor coach?" Danni groaned.

"Because you love her; she's a good friend." Deb interjected before Sharon could even react with anything but a laugh.

"Big push," Sharon coached. "Let's go."

From somewhere deep inside, Danielle found the strength to push and push like she had never pushed before allowing her child to slip from her body into the waiting hands of the doctor.

Looking at the clock, Deb turned to the nurse "Mark the time of birth as 10.12 p.m." Cleaning the nose and mouth, Deb watched the little baby in her hand's work up to the very first strong cry. "Congratulations mommy, you have a beautiful little girl."

"Let me clean her up and weigh her," the nurse took the baby before Deb could pass her to Danni. "Get mom finished up so she can rest."

"Sharon?" Danni looked nervously at her friend.

"I'll go meet your daughter," Sharon reassured. "Listen to Debbie."

Stepping around the top of the bed, Sharon made her way over to where the nurse was cleaning up the little girl. "She's so beautiful." Sharon commented loud enough for Danni to hear her. "Oh she's a heartbreaker."

Handing the baby to Sharon, the nurse smiled and returned to help the doctor clean Danni up. Walking the baby over to her mommy, Sharon gently handed the little girl off.

"Welcome to the world, Madison." Danni smiled as tears streamed down her face.

"Madison what?" Deb questioned as she worked on sutures.

"That's up to her aunt Sharon," Danni turned her head to look at an emotionally raw Sharon.

"Elizabeth," Sharon whispered through her tears.

"Madison Elizabeth Martin." Danni smiled. "I Love it."

"Sharon? Could you take her? Introduce her to the guys?" Danni handed the baby over. "Don't be gone too long; I want her back."

The walk from the bed to the door was filled with a million kisses as Sharon held the little baby in her arms. The walk down the hallway was slow, she didn't want to wake up the sleeping angel in her arms.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Sharon smiled; her team including Hobbs had gathered in the waiting room. "I would like you to meet Madison Elizabeth Martin. Weighing in at seven pounds four ounces. She's nineteen inches long and doing very well."

"Wow," Rusty said with a smile. "She's so tiny."

"She's gorgeous," Flynn's eyes filled with tears. "She has Matt's nose. He wanted a little girl; he wanted a little princess."

"He got his wish," Provenza smiled. "We're going to go so that she can rest. Captain, tell her that she has a gorgeous little girl and we'll be back in the morning."

"I will, Lieutenant." Sharon smiled. "Rusty, why don't you go home and when you come back in the morning bring me the bag I have packed by my bedroom door."

"I'll bring you guys breakfast too," Rusty said softly as he looked at the baby one more time. "She's really cute, Sharon."

"I will tell Danni," Sharon smiled as she leaned over and kissed her son. "I love you."

"I love you too." Rusty sighed. "Try to sleep; you had a long day."

"I will," Sharon made her way back to Danni's room and gently handed off the baby. "Everyone is in love. They think she is beautiful and are threatening to come back in the morning."

"Why don't you go home and sleep?" Danni suggested gently. "You're exhausted, Sharon. We'll be here in the morning, I promise."

Sharon paused for a moment before nodding. "Okay, if you need me you call me okay?"

"Honey," Danni stopped her friend. "I'm just worried about you. I need you healthy."

Kissing Danni's forehead then the baby's Sharon took a deep breath and made her way towards the door. "I will be back early!"

"I know," Danni giggled. "I have Andy waiting for you and Rusty is going to take you to get your car in the morning."

"How did?" Sharon questioned.

"You had my baby, I had my phone." Danni laughed. "Go sleep and bring me something sinful for breakfast."

"Deal," Sharon smiled before returning to kiss the baby again. "Don't grow before morning."


End file.
